


Some Underfell Angst

by MysteryNA



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alphys' lab, Angst, Backstory, Build up, Depression, Determination, Fontcest, Gaster - Freeform, Gaster's notes, M/M, Nightmares, Papyrus tries to change, Papyrus/Sans - Freeform, Plot, Rape, Resets, Sans struggles, Self-Hatred, Skelebros past, Smut, UF!Papyrus, UF!Sans, Underfell, Underfell Papyrus, Underfell Sans, Undertail, all of the drama! :D, awareness, back story, changes, new monsters, playing with my reader's emotions :P, progression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-05-26 20:59:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 25
Words: 37,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6255574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysteryNA/pseuds/MysteryNA
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Papyrus goes into heat and nearly dusts his brother in the process. Reflecting back on how he has treated Sans. Papyrus becomes determined to set things right and get his brother to open back up again but he struggles with toning down his aggressive behaviors. Sans rebukes most of Papyrus' attempts and struggles with his mental instability due to the resets and lack of self worth.</p><p>Rewrite the summary since quite a few people mistook the previous summary to mean Papyrus was abusive in the story. That's the opposite of what I am trying to accomplish with this fanfic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Sans!” A loud banging on his bedroom door had Sans sitting up groggily. His head was pounding and he felt weak kneed. Glancing around the room confused, he tried to recall last night’s events but his mind drew a blank.   
  
“Sans!!!” The pounding on his door intensified and with slow steps, he unlocked the door only to have it flung open seconds later. The force of the door knocked Sans off of his feet and he dropped to the floor with a grunt. Standing in the doorway was Papyrus with his usual deep scowl and his arms crossed.   
  
“Took you long enough!” He barked out with frustration. “What are you still doing in bed? You have your sentry duty to attend to! Stop being a lazy ass and do your job!” Turning on his heels and not giving Sans a chance to respond, he disappeared around the corner.   
  
“Fuck…” Pushing himself to his feet, Sans made to leave the room before he realized he was wearing pajamas. He never wore his pajamas…  Confused, he glanced around the room until he found his usual pile of clothes. Hastily getting dressed, he rushed downstairs and slipped on his sneakers. Opening the front door, he bolted outside only to run into the back of his brother. Stumbling backwards, he glanced up apologetically.   
  
“Watch it shithead!” Papyrus looked him over once before grunting and walking away. Sans watched him leave confused. He usually beat the shit out of him for making stupid mistakes like that. Shrugging it off, he decided he didn’t feel like walking and instead teleported down to his station. Everything was quiet like usual. Sitting down, he pulled out a bottle of mustard and popped the lid off before lifting the condiment to his mouth and drinking its contents through his teeth. Downing the bottle in one go, he crumbled it up in his hand and slammed it down onto the sentry station counter. Why couldn’t he remember what happened the previous day? Not only that but why did his body hurt so damn much? Adjusting his shoulder blades and cracking his neck, he cringed as pain shot through his bones. Hissing, he leaned back into his chair and looked up at the ceiling. The makeshift sky casted by magic illuminated the underground and was the only comfort from reality that Sans could appreciate. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the peaceful quiet and occasional snow flake that landed on his skull. He wasn’t entirely sure how long he sat like that, but eventually drowsiness sank in and he slouched over the counter, only to drift off to sleep.   
  
….  
  
“Bro… boss? Are you there?” *silence* “Pap…?” *bang* “Ugh… w-what…?”   
  
*deep throated laugh* “You shouldn’t have come…”   
  
“Papyrus? What is g…” *shriek* “W-what are you doing?” *maniacal laughing* “I-it hurts… stop!”  
  
“Not until I’m finished!”   
  
“No…. NO!!!”  
  
…..  
  
 Sans snapped awake in a panic and clutched his chest with shaky hands. Sweat was covering his brow and his breathing was heavy. Swiping a hand across his skull, he gulped and glanced around. Immediately his eyes narrowed in on his brother who was standing a good distance away, watching him silently. As soon as Sans meet his eyes, he turned and walked away.  
  
“Papyrus?” Standing up, Sans took off at a sprint to follow his brother but the area was vacant.   
  
“Boss!" He hollered out, but no response came. The images of his nightmare were still fresh in his mind. His brother’s actions since this morning were odd and they all seemed to link together.   
  
 Sans walked back over to his sentry station but instead of sitting down, an idea popped into his head and he veered away to head back home. Making sure the house was vacant, Sans peeked into his brother’s room. Everything was neatly laid out and a red lava lamp in the corner of the room basked the area in a red glow. Checking behind himself, he slipped inside and quietly closed the door behind him. Glancing around, he made sure not to move any of the objects for fears of his brother finding out. Vaguely in his dream he recalled interrupting his brother when he was in the middle of something and it had ended badly. What it was, he couldn’t remember... but he wanted to see if he could find some evidence that his dream had in fact actually happened.  
  
…….  
  
…….  
  
 Papyrus lay hunched over on his side on his bed. A monster’s heat was usually intense but not like this… right now, he craved nothing more than to pound his thick cock into his brother’s small figure and break his body apart. For years, he had fought off these urges... but tonight, he was barely holding onto his consciousness. He feared if he gave in, his body would seek out his brother on its own and do just that. Papyrus hastily jerked himself off, hoping to ride out his heat like he did every other time, but a suddenly knock on the door had him holding his breath in fear.  
  
“Bro… boss? Are you there?” ‘Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…’  
  
 Papyrus silently prayed Sans would leave, but instead he heard the soft click of the door and listened as it slowly swung open. Papyrus tensed as Sans entered the room and stopped at the edge of his bed.   
  
“Pap…?” Sans asked softly.   
  
 Papyrus tried to ignore him, but as he felt Sans cautiously touch his shoulder, his primal instincts took control and he flipped over before grabbing Sans arm and yanking him onto the bed. Slamming his brother up against the wall, he hung hungrily over his small body.   
  
 Sans slumped into him dazed by the sudden rough treatment. “Ugh… w-what…?”   
  
 Papyrus chuckled darkly. “You shouldn’t have come…” His eyes lustfully trailed over his captive. Sans typically looked bulky when he wore his thick, black, fur lined jacket, but right now, he only wore his shorts and red undershirt, which did wonders to his appearance. He looked so slim and small and dare he say cute with his dazed expression. Leaning his head forward to the side of Sans skull, he trailed his sharp pointer finger down his brother's ribcage as he spoke. 

"Mine~"  
  
“Papyrus? What is g…” Suddenly Papyrus gripped one of Sans ribs and with a rough jerk, it snapped free. Sans shrieked in horror and shoved his arms into Papyrus' chest to push him away. “W-what are you doing?”   
  
 Papyrus laughed maniacally, enjoying his brother’s desperate cries. Oh his brothers weeping was so much more delicious~. He wanted to hear more! Curling his fingers around another rib, he bend it upwards, relishing in the smaller skeletons tears of dismay until it to snapped off. Sans whimpered in fear. “I-it hurts… stop!” But he wasn't near finished, he planned on snapping every rib apart.  
  
“Not until I’m finished!” Papyrus licked the side of Sans skull and hummed happily to himself while Sans trembled and shivered in panic.  
  
“No…” He weakly cried out.   
  
 Papyrus trailed his bloody hand down to the rim of Sans pants and reached in to fondle his pelvic bone.  Sans gasped at the touch. “NO!” He tried to push his brother away, but Papyrus grabbed his head and slammed it up against the wall, temporarily paralyzing him. Grabbing Sans' wrists, he pinned them down above his head with a sharp bone that slid in between the radius and ulna, chipping off pieces of bone in his haste to pin his brother. Sans shrieked out again. Ignoring his brother’s cries, Papyrus yanked his brothers shorts down and stared on eagerly at the exposed bone.

 This time, Sans tried kicking him away, but Papyrus snagged one of his legs and with a downward thrust of his elbow, smiled in glee as it snapped in half. Sans jaw ground together as the sensation passed through his system before his teeth parted with a shrill scream. The pain overload his senses and his body went limp as his mind shut off.

 Grateful to have no more resistance, Papyrus lowered his brother to the bed and climbed on top of him. Now it was time for the fun part. Unzipping the front of his pants, he pulled out his dick and stroked it a few times to test his arousal. His cock was hard and ready. Licking his teeth, he positioned it at the opening in Sans pelvic bone before roughly thrusting it in and out. Leaning his head down, he tailed his tongue over the broken ribs, tasting the red determination that seeped out of the cracks. Sheer delight at finally claiming his bro and marking him as his own brought him over faster, and it wasn’t long before he gave one last deep thrust and released his cum, coating Sans insides. Growling in satisfaction, he flipped his brother’s body over and started ramming into him again from the backside. His heat was far from over and he wasn’t about to let his brother go that easily, not when he had finally claimed his prize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr Blog: http://mysterytail.tumblr.com/
> 
> Amazing fanart by Fagraea on deviantart.  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Dim-Light-607524280?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=2  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Monster-s-Heat-609911022?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=0


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing and beautiful fanart by Fagraea on deviantart.  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Dim-Light-607524280?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=2  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Monster-s-Heat-609911022?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=0

 Papyrus’s consciousness slowly drifted back into focus. His whole body still felt hot and he was panting heavily. Opening his eyes, he saw a blurry figure laying below him. Blinking a few times, his vision cleared and he widened his sockets in horror at the sight. Sans lay crippled and still... his rib cage was shattered, his femur bone was snapped in half, and is soul barely flickered a dim light.  
  
“Sans!” Papyrus gently caressed his cheek but Sans didn’t respond. Grabbing his skull shakily, he tried to turn his head towards him. He immediately regretted the action to see large cracks spread out all over the surface, and a few chunks broke off by the action. Papyrus let go with dread. Tears sprung to his eyes and he lifted his hands to his mouth to muffle his sobs. What had he done to his brother?   
  
 Summoning his magic, he hastily surrounded Sans in the healing light, urging it to hurry before it was too late and his brother turned to dust. It was a surprise he hadn’t died already… Papyrus couldn’t contain his sobs and tears dripped down over his bros shattered figure. Sans was all that he had in this cruel world and he had nearly destroyed him himself.   
  
...  

Papyrus sat by Sans side unmoving for several agonizing hours. Even though he felt completely drained, he forced his power to continue. Sans body slowly pulled back together but he had yet to show any signs of life. The only proof Papyrus had that his brother was still alive was his weak glowing soul. Finally, Sans let out a groan and Papyrus lifted his head with relief. Following the groan was a deep throated moan of pain before he fell silent again. The sound was both comforting and torturous. Even though Sans body was hole again, Papyrus held out another hour, just to be certain everything was alright before deciding it was time to give himself a break. Picking up his brother gently, he carried him back to his own room and laid him down on his bed. Before leaving, he quickly swapped Sans out of his everyday attire and slipped on his nightwear, hoping that the soft material would help his brother sleep more comfortably. With one last regretful glance at his brother’s still form, he closed the door to his bedroom and entered his own. As soon as he collapsed onto his bed he blacked out, entering a dreamless deep sleep.   
  
…  
  
 As morning light filtered through the blinds in his window, Papyrus sat up groggily. He felt weaker than he had ever experienced in his life and he considered just staying in bed instead of going to work. Suddenly he remember last night’s events and he sprung out of bed. Panic coursed through his bones as he ran over to Sans’ bedroom, dreading that he might find a pile of dust instead of his brother. Papyrus clenched the doorknob and almost burst in, but he hesitated with fear of what he might find. Instead he decided to try and call out to his brother as he did every day Sans slept in.  
  
“Sans!” He pounded on the door and then silently waited. When he received no response his worry increased tenfold and he pounded on the door harder.  
  
“Sans!!!” He tried to keep his usual rough voice, but he couldn’t stop the slight dip in his tone.   
  
 This time he heard a small sound of shuffling before the lock clicked free. Not wasting any time, Papyrus flung the door open. Sans toppled over backwards and looked up at him with a frown. Papyrus never felt more relieved to see his brother alive and well. Suddenly feeling emotional, he barked out, “Took you long enough! What are you still doing in bed? You have your sentry duty to attend to! Stop being a lazy ass and do your job!” Turning on his heels and not giving Sans a chance to respond, he disappeared around the corner.  
  
 As soon as he was out of sight, Papyrus rushed outside to take a deep breath of the cold air and clear his head. Sans was alive! He was okay! He could stop worrying now… and by the looks of it, he didn’t remember what had happened. Tears sprung to his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away. He would not let himself cry in public. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and looked up towards the sky, allowing himself this moment to be eternally grateful. Suddenly, the door to the house burst open and Sans rushed outside, only to crash into his back. Sans stumbled backwards and glanced up apologetically. Feeling embarrassed for standing in the doorway, Papyrus reacted defensively. “Watch it shithead!” Papyrus looked him over once, glad to see him in one piece, before grunting and walking away.   
  
 As he made his way to the waterfall, doubt began plaguing his mind. What if Sans wasn’t actually alright and he was faking it? What if he played it off like he forgot? What if he was still weak from yesterday and a monster picked a fight with him? What if…? Unable to shake off his uncertainties, Papyrus turned back around to check on his brother. Upon reaching his brother’s sentry station, he stopped a good distance away and watched on silently. Sans was massaging his bones and his expression was cringed up in pain. Not a good sign… after cracking a few bones, he laid back into his chair and looked up at the sky, much the same as he had done. His expression softened as he relaxed. That’s a better sign. Seeing his brother so carefree made his soul ache. He had almost taken that away from him. Thankfully he didn’t seem to remember, or else Papyrus wouldn’t be able to show his face around his brother anymore.   
   
 Deciding his brother was okay for now, Papyrus made his way back to the waterfall. Upon his arrival, the gathered Royal Guards all stiffened and saluted their leader.  
  
“Any news?” Papyrus asked officially. He was already an hour late and he needed to focus on work.   
  
“Nothing to report sir!”   
  
“Good.” He wasn’t in any particular mood for things to go any more downhill than they already had.  
  
“Sir, the Royal Scientist Alphys requested your presence.” Undyne held out an envelope and he snatched it away a lot rougher than he intended. If his aggression bothered her, she did a fine job of covering it up.  
  
“You are all dismissed to your stations. I shall attend to this notice…” Undyne turned to leave but Papyrus called her back. “Undyne, I would like for you to join me.” Undyne nodded and walked over to his side.   
  
 Heading off towards Hotland, they walked in silence. Any monsters they encountered veered away, fearful of the two leaders of the Royal Guard.   
  
 As soon as they reached the laboratory, the front door slid open and Alphys gestured them inside. She looked Undyne over once with confusion at her presence but shrugged it off.  
   
 As the door slid closed behind them, Alphys walked ahead and stopped in front of her large monitor where long stripes of paper spooled out over the floor in curled up clumps. Papyrus looked at the mess with a scowl. He hated untidy areas.   
  
 Getting right to the point, Alphys picked up one of the scrolls of paper and started pointing out miscellaneous codes and jagged lines.   
  
“My machines picked up a large release of magic last night in Snowdin.” Papyrus’s jaw clamped tightly shut and his eyes narrowed. His reaction didn’t go unnoticed by Alphys and Undyne. “If my readings are correct, then the magic’s source came from you. Mind explaining what had happened?” Alphys turned her full attention on the Royal Guard leader but he only held her stare without uttering a world.    
  
 His silence peeked Undyne’s and Alphys’ interest but they knew better than to push the subject. Alphys waited silently for a response but when none came, she sighed.  
  
“Whatever the case, that large amount of magic is deadly for one sole monster to use. If this was your doing, then I suggest you receive a checkup, just to be certain you are fine.” Papyrus’s frown deepened.  
  
“I’m fine.” Turning his back to the pair, he made his way over to the exit, but Undyne lunged at him. Papyrus barely dodged the attack and turned on her with a flash of warning across his features. Ignoring his threatening glare, she lunged again and Papyrus summoned a row of bones that nearly pierced her chest but she narrowly avoided the attack and tried diving for him again.   
  
“I grow tired of this farce Undyne.” His low tone would have warded off most monsters but Undyne wasn’t his second in command for no reason. However, now he wasn’t entirely sure if he should call her that anymore; Her blatant ignorance to his commands was a misconduct he would not ignore.   
  
 Undyne was fully aware of his exhaustion and she could clearly see his magic was barely holding together. It didn’t take her long to break past his defenses and stopped just inches from his chest with the spear pointed at the ready.   
  
“You’re not alright. Your brow is covered in sweat and your magic power is very low.”  
  
“I do not need your concern.” Grabbing hold of the end of the spear, he yanked it from her grasp and turned it on her, before digging it into the front of her armor plate. Undyne hissed under the pain but she held her ground.    
  
“Never intervene again.” He spat the words out through his teeth just inches from her face. Shoving her to the ground, he threw the spear off to her side. Alphys looked over at Undyne with concern but she held her ground, waiting for Papyrus to depart.  
  
“Get off your ass! You’re a shame to the Royal Guard. Undyne, for the next month, your title as second in command will be stripped.” Undyne nodded her understanding and pushed herself off of the ground, wincing slightly from the penetrated wound.   
  
“Alphys, tend to her wounds.” Taking his leave, he stepped outside and paused. Taking a deep breath, he pounded his fist up against the outer building wall and cursed. "Fuck...!" He had intended to leave Undyne in charge for the day to give himself rest, but her misconduct could not go unpunished, and his pride also got in the way of his plans.  
  
 Needing to take a walk to clear his head, Papyrus decided he might as well check on his brother again.


	3. Chapter 3

 Upon arriving at his brother’s location, he noticed he was out cold. Instead of bothering to wake him, he decided to watch from a distance. He was too frustrated to go back and his thoughts were too sporadic to focus on work. Abruptly, his brother shot awake in alarm, before wiping his brow with trembling hands and looking up. Sans immediately noticed his presence and Papyrus stiffened.  
  
‘Shit…’ He was acting so out of character. Turning on his heels, he briskly walked away. He heard his brother call his name but he accelerated his pace with fears of facing his brother. Sans clearly remembered something and his guilt made him slip into the trees to hide. He felt ashamed for being so cowardly and if any monster saw him, he would probably kill them to keep them from spreading any rumors.  
  
Papyrus wasn’t as ruthless as people made him out to be, he was just putting up a front to protect his weaker brother. After they had lost their parents, his brother took care of him the best he could. They spent their lives living in the dumps scavenging for food and shelter, while his brother worked odd jobs for minuscule pay... but it kept them alive. On numerous occasions, he had nearly watched his brother die. Feeling frustrated with his inability to help, he decided to become the most powerful and feared monster in the underground, to ward monsters off from the notion of trying anything. His power was recognized years later with countless hours of practice alone in the woods, and after defeating Undyne, he became the new head of the Royal Guard. However that still didn’t deter monsters from picking fights or trying to harm his brother. He needed another solution…   
  
It was during an intense fight that broke out between his brother and another monster that the brothers’ relationship took a sharp turn for the worse. His brother was losing and was on the verge of death. Papyrus had to act fast and so he reacted on impulse. Stepping forward, he intervened in the other monsters killing blow and received a large crack down his left eye. The monster backed off slightly and tensed for a fight while Sans looked up confused. Instead of fighting the monster to protect Sans, he turned on his already battered brother and slammed his foot into his ribcage. Sans screamed out in agony and looked up with terrified eyes. His brother’s look of fear hurt worse than the crack but he convinced himself it was all just as a means of protecting his weaker brother. The monsters observing the fight also tensed as they had not expected that reaction.  
  
“You’re such a big disappointment brother… losing to such a weak monster in front of all these spectators. You’ve made a mockery of yourself and you've humiliated me.” His accusations were lies, he didn’t mean a word of it, but he needed to make a point with the other monsters. His ploy was working but he wasn’t quite reaching the impact he needed. Pushing down hard, he grinded the heel of his boot into Sans sternum. Sans screamed out again. “From now on, you will address me as 'boss' and do exactly as I say.  Do I make myself clear?” Papyrus growled out darkly. Sans nodded his head weakly.  
  
“What’s that? I can’t hear you!? Or would you rather I kill you here and now?” Papyrus pushed down again and Sans groaned.  
  
“Y-yes boss…”  
  
"Good, now go home and get your sorry ass cleaned up…” Withdrawing his foot, he turned back to face the monster who had nearly killed his brother. They backed away with uncertainty.  
  
“And you… you’ve caused enough trouble; filth like you shouldn’t exist.” Not giving the monster a chance to react, Papyrus lunged for them and drove a large bone through their chest. With a pained cry, they turned to dust. Sweet satisfaction filled his soul to get payback on the monster who had hurt his brother. After observing the onlookers, he couldn’t suppress his maniacal grin. Their terrified expressions were like sweet nectar to him. His silent message of ‘touch my brother and you will die’ became painfully clear. From that day on, all the monsters in the underground became fearful of him.  
  
…   
  
“Boss?” His brother’s calling voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he peered out from behind the tree to see that his brother had stopped just shy of his hiding place. Sans glanced around for a while longer before deeming his brother gone and started walking back to his post. Papyrus slowly creeped out of the trees to watch him walk away, but before Sans returned to his station he paused. All of a sudden, his brother changed directions at a brisk walk and disappeared in a flash of light. Papyrus fully emerged and stared at the spot his brother had been just moments before in amazement. He had never seen Sans teleport before… If he could do that, then what else was his brother hiding?   
  
Then it occurred to him why Sans had left so quickly… thoughts of worry filled his mind and he quickly made his way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing fanart by Fagraea on deviantart.  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Dim-Light-607524280?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=2  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Monster-s-Heat-609911022?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=0


	4. Chapter 4

Sans quickly poked around the room. Nothing looked out of place or suggested anything had even happened the previous night. Perhaps it had just been a dream…  
  
Deeming the room clear, he made his way to leave, but something caught his eye. Pausing, Sans approached Papyrus’s bed and picked up a smooth thin piece of bone. Lifting it up to eye level, he inspected the shard and his fingers began to quiver as he recognized the texture. Lifting up his leg, he pulled up his shorts and shuddered to find a chip in his femur bone missing. His worries increased ten fold as he pressed it up against the missing section and it fit right in. Almost as if the tiny fragment contained his memories, floods of images and emotion filled his head and he fully remembered his nightmare.  
  
Suddenly, the door to Papyrus’ bedroom creaked open. Sans stiffened and turned to face his boss. His look of surprise turned to guilt and he dropped his eyes to the ground.   
  
Papyrus didn’t say anything; He just silently looked between the bone in Sans hand and his look of guilt and fear on his face. Slowly he entered the room and stopped right in front of Sans. The smaller skeleton held perfectly still, waiting to be tortured or quite possibly killed. He couldn’t stop his quivers and he clutched his eyes tightly closed, dreading what might happen to him. He jumped startled when he felt two long arms wrap around his back and his breathing stilled. He waited for the pain or the harsh words, but they never came, which only scared him more. It was like the calm before the storm.   
  
Sans had always tried to support Papyrus as best he could, but he knew he had failed. When they were little, Sans was barely able to bring back a scrap of food and he ended up going days without eating to keep his brother healthy, but what little did that do. His brother was ridiculed and treated badly, all because he wasn’t strong enough and they were forced to live in the dump because he couldn’t provide a roof over their heads. His brother never showed any signs of caring but deep down, he feared his brother despised him. So when the day came that his brother lashed out at him, he could only accept his punishment and shame. He deserved it… he was pathetic, small, weak and the scum of the underground. There were days he wished he could just disappear but at the same time, what kept him going was watching his brother grow from a little baby bones to a powerful, tall and highly admired Royal Guard leader. He both respected and feared his brother but so did every other monster in the underground. It was like Papyrus was born to a completely different family. And he would have believed it too if not for the fact that he was the older brother, and was present when Papyrus was born before their mother turned to dust.  
  
When his brother demanded he call him boss, Sans didn’t hesitate. He knew he didn’t deserve to call his brother by his name anymore, nor could he even consider him his brother. Boss was his idol, his leader and his owner. If he decided to kill him, he would accept it, but the thought still terrified him. What was it like to die? Would it hurt? Would he just slip away into nonexistence? He feared the unknown but he also didn’t want to disappoint his boss in his final moments, so he held still and tried to calm his raging nerves.   
  
They stood like that for what felt like hours before Papyrus turned Sans around and tugged him over to the bed. He kept his arms tightly woven around his brother's body as he laid them down. Sans back was pressed up against Papyrus’ chest and he could feel him breathing slowly. His mind froze in panic as he tried to comprehend his boss' actions. They were very uncharacteristic of him. Was this a test? Was his boss just completely out of it and when he would come to, he’ll get beaten for being in his room? The longer they lay still, the more he panicked. Sans made an attempt to move but when he felt Papyrus’s grip tighten, he froze in horror, but still no retaliation or comment. Giving up on the idea of escaping, Sans remained perfectly still. Whatever the case, he wasn’t about to get caught relaxing his guard. Eventually, he felt his boss drift off to sleep and he felt his own exhaustion beginning to sink in but he refused to give in. He surmised this was a test and he didn’t want to fail it…  
  
…  
  
As Papyrus came to, he looked down at his brother expecting to find him asleep but his jaw tightened to find his brother still wide awake and completely stiff. He could feel how exhausted he was and his eye sockets looked dark and sunken in… he had been a fool to think his brother would relax and he had been inconsiderate to fall asleep without at least talking to him or trying to make sure he slept first. He was doing it again… he was being selfish. His brother always thought of him first and never stopped to take care of himself. He became strong to protect Sans, but as he held his brothers small form, he only felt a broken disconnected soul. How could he have let it get this bad?   
  
Papyrus’s heart ached. His brother was so mentally scarred, he was more terrified of him than anyone else in the underground. His sweet loving brother who had raised him since he was a child and given up everything for him was now an empty shell who feared his violence and cruel words. He had never truly understood how much he had hurt his brother. Now after years of distance, he was trying to show his love and affection but it was having the opposite effect. The longer he held his brother, the more he felt him shaking. He tried to give his brother a comforting squeeze, but by alerting his brother that he was awake, he only received soft sobs. Not sobs of happiness… no… sobs of complete terror.  
  
“Are you going to kill me?” A low, tired and quiet voice asked. It was Papyrus’s turn to tense. With gentle hands, he turned his brother to face him completely but the light in his eyes faded when he got a good look at his brother’s face. Sans eye sockets were dark and empty, his cheek bones were stained with tear streaks and chips of bone were missing. He must have clawed at himself to keep himself awake.  
  
“Sans.” When his brother heard his stern voice, he started shaking again. “Sleep.” He commanded. Sans looked up at him confused but he didn’t argue. The second he closed his eyes, he was out cold. Papyrus summoned his healing magic again and began repairing the damages, including reattached the missing chip to Sans femur.   
  
He didn’t want to leave Sans side, but he decided he needed to talk to Undyne again. Laying his brother down gently, Papyrus pulled up the sheets and blankets over his still form before taking his leave to Waterfall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing fanart by Fagraea on deviantart.  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Dim-Light-607524280?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=2  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Monster-s-Heat-609911022?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=0


	5. Chapter 5

Undyne was surprised to say the least when Papyrus showed up at her place. Due to his unexpected arrival, she nearly pummeled his face in at her doorstep from sheer anger and frustration, but Papyrus reacted faster and blocked her punch before slamming his foot into her stomach and knocking her off of her feet.

“Tisk, throwing a tantrum I see…” Undyne shook off the pain and jumped back up.

“What are you doing here?” She asked with clear disdain in her tone. Now that she wasn’t on duty, she wasn’t willing to put up with his bullshit in her own home.

“I…” Papyrus feel silent. He hated doing this, but he wanted to get back quickly… “Undyne, your services are required…” Undyne’s hostile glare turned to surprise before suspicion.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with the incident back at the lab does it?” Papyrus clamped up but Undyne wasn’t going to have it.

“I refuse.” Undyne turned to close the door while Papyrus looked up startled. When she caught his surprise, she paused. "Either you tell me, or I’m shutting the door and you’re walking away!” Her threat in most cases would just go ignored and he would in turn show her why he’s the boss, but not this time. Biting his lower jaw, he sighed and shoved his way through the door.

”Hey!” Undyne started to protest but he cut her off, “you wanna know or what?” He asked begrudgingly. Undyne fell silent and closed the door behind him before following him inside. He glanced around at the strewn about objects in the room with distaste.

“Got a problem with my house?” Realizing he was getting distracted, Papyrus shook off the thoughts to focus on the reason for his visit.

“Yes, but now’s not the time to focus on that…” Turning his back to the cluttered room, he focused on Undyne.

“So you refuse to cooperate without knowing the previous evening’s events… I’m not going into detail.” He warned. Undyne opened her mouth to protest, but the sharp seriousness in his eyes made her hesitate. He wasn’t trying to be intimidating like usual, he was actually being serious this time. Instead, she nodded her head and pulled up a chair to sit down.

“There was an accident… and Sans almost died. What Alphys felt was my healing magic to try and save him.” Undyne tensed. “Happy?”

“W-what? That’s all?” Undyne stood up to complain but the death glare she received made her soul sink with dread. She was already pushing it…

“You agreed and as I said, I’m not going into detail. Now the reason for my visit, I need you to watch the Royal Guard for a couple days.”

“Hang on? You suspended me from duty for a month and a day later you're promoting me to temporary leadership!?”

“Yes, now if you’ll please excuse me, I have things to attend to.” Papyrus quickly turned to leave, but then a thought occurred to him and he paused, “oh and Undyne… if I were to so much as hear a single word of what I’ve shared with you from another monster, _you should look forward to burning in hell_!” Undyne paled as his tone of voice went deep and distorted. She had never heard him talk with such murderous intent behind his words. Satisfied with making his point, Papyrus slammed the door behind him and briskly set off for home.  
….

Papyrus wasn’t surprised to find Sans out cold. Laying back down, he pulled him back up against his chest and gently caressed the top of his skull. He felt his brother relax into his touch and he smiled. At least in his sleep his brother was relaxing in his embrace. This time around, he wanted to be sure to stay awake for his brother’s sake. He knew that if he fell asleep now, his brother would wake up in a panic and he would fail to console him. Besides, he was well rested and not anywhere near tired.

It was after a few silent hours of peacefulness that things went wrong. Papyrus was still holding his brother in the same position as before when his brother started to flail and whimper. Papyrus sat up on red alert and he tried to calm his panicked brother.

“Sans… SANS!” Papyrus grabbed his brother’s shoulders but he felt a sudden burning sensation in his soul and gravity was reverse on him. Papyrus slammed up against the furthest wall and slumped to the ground in a daze. As his vision cleared, he gasped to find Sans eye flashing orange and red with a red flame pouring out and lashing madly at the air. Pushing himself up onto numb feet, he approached the bed cautiously. ‘Sans?” He asked quietly. When he received no response, he tried a different approach. “Sansy… everything is going to be fine.” He tried using his brother’s old nickname and he spoke as softly as he possibly could. His gentle tone dispelled the raging magic and Sans dropped back down onto the bed. Papyrus just stood stock still in confusion, shock and alarm.

As the aftereffects wore away, he sat down nervously on the bed and looked his brother over. He looked perfectly calm, like his previous freak-out never happened. Deciding to subtly ask Sans about it later, he laid back down and tightly hugged his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing fanart by Fagraea on deviantart.  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Dim-Light-607524280?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=2  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Monster-s-Heat-609911022?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=0


	6. Chapter 6

As light from the outside filtered through the blinds in the window and shone into Sans empty eye sockets, he ducked his head down away from the annoying light and snuggled up closer to the warm body in front of him…. ‘Wait what!?’ Sans bolted upright to find his brother watching him with a relaxed but unreadable expression.

“B-boss, g-good..” Sans glanced outside the window to confirm the time of day, “evening…” He felt a lot calmer than he did previously but he still felt uncomfortable with how quiet and accepting his brother was being.

“Sans, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” Sans braced as Papyrus’ tone went serious. He still didn’t sound threatening, but he knew his boss could flip like a switch if provoked.

Papyrus went quiet, trying to gather his thoughts. Sans fidgeted slightly as the unnatural quiet settled down between the two. Finally, Papyrus looked up and snagged Sans upper arms before pulling him into a tight hug.

Sans blinked once, twice, three times. “Uh… w-what…?”

“I never want to hurt you again!” The desperate loud cry made Sans flinch.

He was beyond confused and unintentionally voiced his thoughts out loud. “What is going on?”

“I’ve never once despised you Sans… I just wanted to protect you… but in the end, I was doing the opposite. This whole time, I’ve been lying to myself, saying it was for the greater good… but what a whole lotta good that did!” Sans just sat there feeling light headed. He had just woken up and he was suddenly being bombarded with a shouting voice and unfamiliar actions. As his boss’ words finally sunk in, Sans head cleared a bit. Hearing his boss say all of this at once confused the living shit out of him. He had no idea what brought this on but to hear Papyrus say he didn’t despise him was the greatest gift he could ever receive… but… how long would this last...? Would his boss just completely forget all of this and return to normal? Heh, what did he care? He vowed to never forget this moment, even if it was just a small segment of his life. This alone was enough to fill his lifetime with joy and grant him the strength to continue.

Deciding to be a little gutsy on his side, he genuinely hugged his bro…boss back. He was ecstatic to have a chance to hold him again. When he felt his boss withdraw from the hug, he readied himself for whatever might happen next. He watched his boss with calculating eyes as he slid off the bed and walked to the bedroom door. Just before Papyrus exited, he turned back with a large dorky grin.

“I haven’t cooked in a while! How does spaghetti sound?” Sans nodded his head stiffly. As soon as his boss darted out of the room, his face erupted into a burning furnace. ‘Holy shit! That was adorable…’ Sliding off of the bed after him, he realized he felt more rested than he had ever felt in his entire life. Stretching a bit, he smiled giddily. If only his life could be like this every day… but… what were the odds of that happening? Realizing his negativity was setting in again, he shook off the darkening thoughts. He wanted to focus on the here and now so as to not miss a single moment and engrave every second into his memory.

Sans dropped down the stairs two at a time and paused just outside the kitchen to listen to his boss shuffle around. He heard the stove kick on, a few clanging of pans and then the swift sounds of a knife chopping up ingredients. He stood like that for around ten minutes before he had the courage to confirm this was all real. Papyrus immediately noticed his presence and turned to face him.

He gave a warm smile before returning to his work. As the last of the vegetables were chopped and placed into the pan, he settled the temperature to around medium and placed a lid on top. Satisfied, he left his post to stop directly in front of Sans who tensed out of reflex. Papyrus gave a sad smile, before he pulled his brother in close and nuzzled the top of his skull. The surface was rough and had numerous cracks spread out over the surface. A few he inflicted himself, which only pained him more to look at them, while others were from the abuse of other monsters. His brother had suffered a lot…

Sans held still, enjoying the comfort of his boss’ arms, but his haphephobia kicked in and he had to withdraw. After years of abuse, he had developed a strong fear of physical contact. His boss was an exception, but he could only handle so much.

Papyrus felt slightly disappointed at the loss of contact, but his brother gave him a struggled smile. It wasn’t too relieving, but it showed he was trying.

Feeling awkward just standing around, Sans turned to slump onto the couch and Papyrus followed. They sat apart and just listened quietly to the other’s soft breathing. Papyrus wanted to say something but each time he tried, he closed it again. He knew what he wanted to say, but he wasn’t sure how to address it.

When he decided to at least share something, a loud ding sounded in the kitchen, cutting him off. Sighing, Papyrus got up to check the spaghetti.

Sans slumped his head onto his propped up arm and stared blankly at the wall in front of him. Everything that had transpired over the last two days had him perplexed. Everything had happened so fast… Sans eyes broke line of sight with the wall as a plate of spaghetti was lowered into his vision. Sans gingerly accepted the plate and held it out in front of him. He eyed his serving before glancing at his boss uncomfortably. It had been a long time since he had eaten one of his boss’ home cooked meals and he was too jittery to dig in. He felt it was only respectful for the head of the household to eat first.

Papyrus plopped back down onto the couch beside Sans before lifting his fork to take a bite. Just before the fork passed his teeth, he noticed his brother wasn’t moving, and he paused to stare at him expectantly. Sans meet his stare and he fidgeted nervously.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” His brother inquired calmly.

“Y-yea… a-after you…” Papyrus’ brow furrowed in confusion until he realized what was bothering his brother.

“Sans…” His voice deepened and Sans squeaked at his seriousness. “Please address me…” Sans tilted his head to the side taken-aback by the command before he hurriedly responded.

“Yes Boss.”

“…” Papyrus set his plate down on the armrest before turning completely to face his brother.

Sans fidgeted with unease, afraid he had done something wrong.

“What am I to you?” Papyrus asked again. Sans paused for a moment before responding without a second thought.

“You’re my one and only amazing boss.” Papyrus’ jaw tightened.

“What is our relationship?” He tried again. Sans eyes dimmed at the repetitive questions. What was his boss aiming for? Thinking perhaps he was answering incorrectly, he decided to change his response.

“You are my owner.” This response made the light in Papyrus’ eyes darken and Sans dropped his plate in a panic and he dropped to the floor with his head bowed.

“I-I-I’m sorry… I d-d-didn’t…” Papyrus sat shocked, staring at Sans slumped figure. He had not expected such a desperate reaction. His hands immediately wrapped around his brother’s waist and chest before he heaved him up onto his lap.

Sans yelped and tried breaking free of his grasp but Papyrus was having none of that and he forcefully flipped Sans face first onto the couch and pinned him down. Sans groaned from the pressure and his struggles ceased but he still looked spooked. Papyrus felt strong quakes of panic coursing through his brother’s bones and his soul within his chest flickered in distress. He had reacted out of reflex and realized his actions may have given off the wrong message.  
  
“Sans, it’s okay. Everything is fine.” He tried to speak calmly but his gruff voice didn’t sound at all gentle. Frustrated at his inability to soften his voice, he settled for gently caressing his skull. The lulling motions appeased Sans’ anxiety and he bones relaxed.

Slowly lifting off his weight, Papyrus stared down at the ruined spaghetti strewn across the living room floor and he stared down at his own plate which had fallen as well during their struggle. Sans turned his head in worry as he heard his brother’s disappointed sigh and he followed his gaze to the mess made in the room.

His worries slowly slipped back in as he tensed for any form of harsh words, but his brother just wordlessly entered the kitchen before returning to the living room with a dust pan and broom.

When Papyrus entered back in, he exhaled in frustration to find Sans picking up the mess with his hands and wrapping it up into his jacket.

“We have a dustpan and broom you know…?” Sans glanced at him and nodded stiffly before caring the mess into the kitchen and dumping the contents into the trash. He needed to do laundry anyways. Feeling guilty by his continual screw ups, he decided to make a run for his bedroom to quickly get changed and then head outside for a breath of fresh air. He needed to get away and clear his head.

Plan set, he rounded the corner at a brisk walk and rushed past his brother who looked up as he passed.

“Sans?” He tried calling out to him but he ignored it. As soon as he reached his room, he threw on one of his older fluffy winter coats he hadn’t used in a long time. It didn’t take long before he heard a loud rasp on the door as his brother unceremoniously knocked on it.

“Sans, open this door, we need to have a talk.” He tried to sound considerate, but his years of being a Royal Guardsman made it sound more like a command and he mentally slapped himself for his poor address.  
  
Sans froze at the commanding tone. He recognized it all too well. If he tried leaving now, he would surely break this peace that had settled over the house and things would revert back to normal, but a part of him still screamed for him to run away. He didn’t deserve all this… whatever he decided now would surely have its own despairing consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing fanart by Fagraea on deviantart.  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Dim-Light-607524280?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=2  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Monster-s-Heat-609911022?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=0


	7. Chapter 7

Sans approached the window, contemplating his next action. A strong part of him still wanted to flee but he wasn’t about to go against his boss… Sighing in frustration, he pulled away from the window and hesitantly unlocked his door.  
  
As soon as the click was heard, the door was hastily thrown open. Sans stepped back and dropped his eyes to the ground.  
  
As Papyrus entered into the room, he paused to contemplate how he wanted to bring the topic up. An awkward silence settled over the two, neither knowing how to begin. As the silence was beginning to become unbearable, Sans silently wished he had taken his leave instead. He really needed some time alone.  
  
Papyrus’ eyes started to twitch with irritation at his inability to share what was on his mind. Sans glanced up at him and smirked with amusement. His expression was clearly evident on his face, which was highly unlike him, and he looked like he was fighting an eternal battle and losing.  
  
“I… *ehem*... we…” Papyrus began. Sans snorted but quickly covered his laugh with a cough.  
“FUCK!” Sans jumped not expecting the outburst and his eye sockets turned into wide saucers. Papyrus scratched the back of his head and turned sharp eyes on his brother, determination burning brightly behind his empty sockets.  
  
“Sans, no more!”  
  
“W-what?”  
  
“Boss, stop calling me boss! That was a fucking stupid idea on my part to let it go on for so long…”  
  
“Bos… br…” Sans tried to reply but his sentence drifted off. He didn’t feel comfortable addressing his brother as anything but boss. He had been ingrained with the thought of being lower than dirt… and to try to talk like he was an equal felt wrong…  
  
Seeing Sans’ grim expression made Papyrus’ heart sink. He wanted to have a meaningful conversation with his brother but it wasn’t going exactly as he had hoped.  
  
“Listen Sans, I’ve done a lot of fucked up shit, I won’t deny that… and you… you’ve done nothing but put up with my crudeness and try your damndest to appease me. Ever since we were little, you gave up everything for me and what did I give you in return…? I gave you lies, insults, pain and much more… I want to make it up to you, but I don’t know how…”  
  
 Sans’ shoulders slumped as he listened to his brother’s distraught words. This was not what he wanted to hear… He didn’t deserve anything. Boss said he gave up everything for him, but he had nothing to give. It made no sense! He provided nothing to eat most nights, he couldn’t find them decent shelter and he wasn’t strong enough to protect them from other monsters. Papyrus was the true saviour! He turned their lives around, not him! He fought his way to the top, provided them a home, brought food to the table… Papyrus did everything he had failed to do…  
  
“Boss…” Two strong hands gripped his shoulders in a vice grip and Sans shoved Papyrus away in fright.  
  
“Don’t call me boss!” Papyrus repeated with dissatisfaction. Sans glanced towards the window, having second thoughts about staying. Following his gaze, Papyrus gritted his teeth and approached Sans with slow steps. Sans’ eyes snapped back to him with worry and he backed away slowly.  
  
“What are you doing?” He held his hands up defensively, not liking the glint in his brothers’ eyes. His senses screamed at him to flee but that familiar commanding stare that demanded subjection had his legs locking up. He urged himself to move but he couldn’t fight his submissive nature. His hands clenched and unclenched as sweat began to bead onto his forehead and palms.  
  
Once Papyrus was within arms reach, he reached forward slowly. Sans closed his eyes, ready for whatever his brother had in store. What he didn’t expect was a clink against his teeth and his eyes snapped open. Papyrus’ face was uncomfortably close to his own and had his teeth pressed up against his. Yelping, Sans raised his hands to put some distance between them but Papyrus grabbed his wrists before pushing him up against the wall and deepening the kiss.  
  
‘What the hell!’ Sans thought and turned his head to the side, breaking the kiss. Sans took shaky breaths to calm his befuddled mind.  
  
Papyrus remained silent, watching his brother with calculating eyes. His dating manual explained that kissing was a way of showing affection and since his words weren’t getting his point across, he was beginning to feel desperate.  
  
He needed to convey his feelings and help calm his brothers fears. After years of neglect, he knew restoring his brother’s shattered heart would take some time but he wasn’t a very patient monster… especially when he had a whole underground to patrol and keep under surveillance.  
   
He had become accustomed to always being in control and getting his work done early. He could never sit still for too long. Too much to do and to little time. He left early and came back late every day. Hence the reason for putting Undyne in charge while he was away. He needed to be certain that someone he trusted could keep things in order.  
   
Now that he had cleared up his schedule, he needed to find some way to break Sans’ shielded barrier. Perhaps what they needed was a walk through Snowdin...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing fanart by Fagraea on deviantart.  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Dim-Light-607524280?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=2  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Monster-s-Heat-609911022?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=0


	8. Chapter 8

“Sans! We’re getting out of the house. We could both use some fresh air!” Papyrus gripped Sans wrist and forcefully dragged him towards the door. Sans stumbled behind him confused. 

“B-boss wai-” Papyrus whipped back around to face Sans and frowned.

“Stop calling me boss.” He re-emphasized. 

“Bro…” Sans trailed off and fell silent. 

“Why can’t you just call me brother again? Is that really so hard?” The hurt laced within Papyrus’ tone made Sans flinch and he cast his eyes to the ground. ‘Was it?’ Now that he thought about it, he sometimes let the name slip but only when he wasn’t really thinking about it. 

“B-brother…” Sans quietly whispered. Papyrus brightened up at that and his tugging became less forceful. Sans expression relaxed some at his boss… brother’s enthusiasm. As they stepped through their front door to the cold outside, a few passing monsters hurried by to avoid confronting Papyrus. 

Sans watched Papyrus’ expression for any form of hostility, but he paid the passerbyes no mind and continued on his way. 

As they strolled through the streets of Snowdin, a few monsters gave intense awkward stares. Sans looked down at their still clutched hands and realized the reason for their stares. Blushing furiously, he tugged his arm free and stared down at the ground in embarrassment. Papyrus glanced back at his brother but didn’t say anything. 

They continued to walk in silence until they neared the inn, that was when things got rowdy. Sans and Papyrus couldn’t see anything through the thick crowd of gathered mothers all surrounding something or someone. Feeling both curious and annoyed, Papyrus made his presence known with a burst of energy. The monsters nearest him stepped aside with sweat drops. Strolling forward, the monsters continued to form a path for Papyrus until he found the source of all the monsters’ attention. In the center of the group was two unfamiliar monsters Papyrus had never seen before. They were clad in armour and they looked like some kind of spider and warthog. The warthog had a large battle axe strapped to his back and the spider had a sash of knives strapped along his waist. He could tell by their overpowering appearance that they were warriors of the capitol. 

Papyrus gave them a once over before grunting and turning to leave. It wasn’t until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he lashed out with a powerful knockback by a row of bones. However, the monster took the blow head on and barely slid back a few feet. Papyrus turned to face his opponent and smiled in interest to see the warthog had withdrawn his battle axe and used it as a shield. He could tell by his appearance that he was a naturally built tank. He could probably hold his ground even under a full on assault. 

“Can I help you?” Papyrus asked coolly. 

“So this is the royal guard leader? I was kind of expecting more to be honest…” The spider was eyeing Papyrus up and down, with clear disapproval evident in his eyes. 

“He might not look all that important, but the fact that he was able to push me so far with such a minor attack at least gives him some credibility.” The warthog snorted his compliment but it still held a bit of reproach. 

Papyrus’ blank expression and calm aura gave nothing away to their comments. 

“Perhaps a better demonstration is in order, hmm…?” The two warriors glanced at each other. The royal guard leader’s tone remained even as he spoke which made the two warriors hesitant. They didn’t want to lose face after blatantly ridiculing the royal guard leader but on the other hand, they needed more time to assess their opponent. Taking the easy way out, they thought up an excuse on the spot to slip away and not look like fools.

“Nah, you’ve already proven yourself to me! How about you Aluino?”

The spider warrior caught the warthog’s eye and they came to a silent mutual agreement before he answered. “...I trust your judgement Nadar.” The two slipped past Papyrus and forced their way through the crowd, making their way over to the bar.

Papyrus kept his eyes strained on their backs as they left, feeling a smirk tugging at the edges of his teeth. 

Deeming them no longer a threat, Papyrus turned back to his brother to see him still staring after the two warriors. Realizing his brother was waiting on him, Sans snapped out of his trance to return the stare. Papyrus’ blank expression still held but within stirred a new fire at a challenge. It had been a while since they’d last seen a new face. 

“I will be keeping a sharp eye on them. While they might have played it cool, underneath I could tell they were itching for a fight…” Sans wasn’t entirely sure what to say in response, so he chose to only nod. 

“I’m not in any particular mood to encounter those ‘pleasant’ monsters again, so let’s drop by the shop and pick up a few groceries. I’ll whip us up something good back at the house.” Sans nodded his head again and followed quietly behind. There was something about those two monsters that really unsettled him. He had seen hundreds, thousands of different timelines, but never once had he encountered these new visitors… What was going on? What was changing? Was his brother’s odd switch in personality also the effect of an anomaly? Was everything his brother saying and doing a glitch and he never truly meant anything he said? 

A new sense of dread filled Sans core and his pupils faded to black. He couldn’t process everything that was happening and he didn’t want to think about it either… His best course of action was to not get comfortable. All it would take was a simple reset and everything would return to its natural order. The last thing he wanted was to get his hopes up and then crushed when his brother returned to normal. He was a fool to think that there was an off chance at having happiness. 'If only I could die and stay dead… then my problems would be gone forever and my brother could move on with his own life as well.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing fanart by Fagraea on deviantart.  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Dim-Light-607524280?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=2  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Monster-s-Heat-609911022?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=0


	9. Chapter 9

Papyrus and Sans were busy around the kitchen cooking dinner. Papyrus was handling the bigger task of actually preparing the food while Sans assisted with gathering the needed utensils for his brother to use. Tonight they were making lasagna.

“Sans, get me the roller!” 

“Yes brother.” Sans responded curtly, putting up a front of ease. Underneath crawled his dark sickening emotions. He couldn’t get comfortable with calling Papryus his brother, in case things returned to normal. If he accidentally slipped up, he would be sure to face a grueling punishment. He would play the act of being the good little brother, but with each time he called Papyrus bro, he would repeat Boss in his head a thousand times over. Masking his emotions was easy enough, considering he had mastered his fake plastered smile with ease after experiencing years of memories well over the age of his actual body. 

Over the past couple days, he had been far more emotional than he normally was. He knew it was because his brother was being far more gentle than usual and he had already gotten his hopes up. However, now that he was aware that everything was because of an anomaly, he could be prepared. 

….

Sans sudden cheerful persona unnerved Papyrus. He couldn’t have changed that fast… something was wrong. Did he do something wrong? Papyrus paused at that thought and couldn’t help laughing bitterly. He sure as hell did something wrong… years and years of wrong, but that only confirmed his suspicion that his brother couldn’t have had a sudden break through. His brother’s act was like clear glass. He could see right through it. He was still being careful not to get to close and every time he called him brother, it felt forced and fake. 

He knew he needed to speak with his brother but for now, he would pretend not to notice. If his brother didn’t open up within the next couple days, then he would make sure to get to the bottom of it. 

….  
Sans set the table as his brother finished cooking their dinner. At the very least, he could enjoy his brother’s home cooked meals while they lasted. That shouldn’t have any negative repercussions…. Who was he kidding, the universe found ways to torture him. He wasn’t sure who hated him worse, his brother or the universe. Glancing over at his brother to make sure he wasn’t looking, he stuck his middle finger up at the ceiling and silently cursed under his breath,  
“Fuck you universe!!!”

Feeling slightly amused at his own antic, he sat down on their couch and mindlessly switched between the channels. Oh look Mettaton on every channel, no surprise there… 

Turning off the TV, he stretched out on the couch and clasped his hands behind his head with his legs crossed and stared up at the ceiling. ‘I can’t get comfortable.’ He reminded himself. As much as he enjoyed not having to constantly keep on his toes around his brother, he would deeply regret it later when his brother reverted back. ‘Why couldn’t all future resets result in this outcome...? Sans stop! You are going to get your hopes up!’ Putting a stop to his thoughts, he grumbled and he flipped onto his side. Focusing on the kitchen entrance, he waited for his brother to emerge with dinner ready. After a few minutes of silence, Papyrus exited the kitchen with a large pan in tow. 

“Is that much food really necessary?” Sans asked with a grin.

“Yes, yes it is! I wanted to have left overs.” Papyrus set the pan down on the table and turned to regard his brother. He noticed he was smiling genuinely but it was short lived as his brother’s face darkened again and he slid off the couch to join him at the table. 

Papyrus frowned but he let it slid. Why was his brother so stubborn? Seating themselves at the table, Papyrus dished himself up while his brother once again waited. Instead of making a big deal out of it again, he silently took a bite and his brother reached for his own serving shortly after. He hated having his older brother acting so weak and beneath him. At one point, it had been one of his kinks, but now it was just sad to watch. 

The prolonged silence that stretched out over the course of the meal made the air feel heavy and awkward. Clearing his throat, Papyrus thought it best to at least attempt a normal conversation.

“So… um, how’ve you been?” Papyrus cringed at the lame question.

“Fine…” Sans responded slowly, looking at him with searching eyes. ‘Oh what, is my sudden need for conversation something to be suspicious of?’ Papyrus thought bitterly. Was he not allowed to ask meaningful questions?

“Is there anything you’d like to do this evening after dinner?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Would you care to join me for recalibrating my puzzles?” 

“Sure...” Papyrus gritted his teeth at the halfhearted responses. His brother wasn’t trying to elaborate on his answers or keep the conversation going. Sighing, he dug into his food and focused on his meal.

….  
Sans watched his brother carefully. Why was he suddenly so interested? All these questions were not like him, but then he reminded himself that it was because of the anomaly and he shut out his worries. 

After finishing their meal, Papyrus got started on the dishes while Sans took this opportunity to slip upstairs to lay down before they headed out.

Entering into his room, Sans flopped down onto his bed and buried his face into his mattress. Taking slow breaths, he let his thoughts cycle through. ‘What was this anomaly? Was there a way to stop it?’ This anomaly wasn’t like any of his past resets. That meant this was something new and foreign. It could end in numerous ways and that was what made it even more terrifying. For all he knew, a reset might never occur but he highly doubted that. For now, all he could do was remain vigilant. What he really needed was to figure out more, and he knew exactly who to go to for just that… if those two new monsters had anything to do with it, which he was certain they did, then he wanted to at least speak with them and get a lead in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing fanart by Fagraea on deviantart.  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Dim-Light-607524280?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=2  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Monster-s-Heat-609911022?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=0


	10. Chapter 10

Once dinner was cleaned up and put away, Papyrus went upstairs to grab his boots. His mind reeled with thoughts on what he could say or do. His brother was going on patrol with him and this was the perfect time to talk to him.

Coming back downstairs, he found his brother dressed and leaning against the front door idly. As soon as he spotted Papyrus, he opened the door and Papyrus walked out before Sans locked it behind them.

“So…” Papyrus cleared his throat awkwardly and Sans shifted on his heels. The tension was thick in the air and neither monster knew what to say but knew something needed to be said. Particularly Papyrus felt the need to speak. His brother wasn’t opening up and he was growing frustrated. If he couldn’t figure out what was wrong then there was no way he could get to the bottom of the problem and fix it.

“I’m going to recalibrate my puzzles along the way to the ruins and then head back up towards Waterfall.” Sans made no sound of having heard but his magic hitched and fluttered in agitation which didn’t go unnoticed.

“Sans… I know you don’t want to talk and I know you think I haven’t noticed your fake smile… I’m not stupid and it’s infuriating me that I can’t get my brother back.” Papyrus paused to see Sans’ reaction, when he received no response, he continued talking. “I was… am a shitty brother but I want to make it up to you.”

“You can’t.” Papyrus froze. The response was really quiet and soft, he felt he might have misheard but as he turned to face his brother, his eye lights were gone and his smile was dark and sad.

“Why can’t I!?!” He asked with a lace of hurt in his tone.

“None of this is real…”

“…none of this is real…?” The gears were turning in his head as those words went on repeat. “None of what is real?” Sans went quiet and his pupils vanished as he realized he’d slipped up. “Sans.” Papyrus grabbed his brother’s shoulders and shook him a little more forcefully than he intended but his cool was slipping.

“Forget what I said.” Sans shrugged him off and stepped past him. Papyrus’ control broke as he whipped around and latched onto his brother’s forearm painfully before yanking him back around.

“DON’T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!” He snarled in fury. Sans cringed it pain before his eyes widened in fear and he petrified at the familiar cold stare. “I AM DONE. DONE WITH THE LIES, DONE WITH YOU AVOIDING THE QUESTION!!!” Papyrus took deep breaths to calm his raging emotions. “I need answers…” He added quietly.

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!” This time Sans blew up. Papyrus stepped back shocked. His brother never rose his voice.

He only took a second to register Sans’ words before his hysteria rose again. “THEN HELP ME UNDERSTAND!” He felt pinpricks of annoyance and helplessness surface.

Sans left eye lit up red and he latched onto Papyrus’ soul to shove him away. Papyrus hollered in surprise and Sans’ power died down in realization that he had used his magic against his brother. Gritting his teeth, he sprinted away, hoping to put distance between them and find some time alone to think. He heard his brother’s pursuit and he quickly formed a wall of bones to block his path before he darted into the trees and teleported away. To where? He didn’t care, as long as it was far away from here.  
….  
Papyrus stepped back nervously as his brother’s eyes darkened and his left eye lit with a red fire. Anger covered his features and he could feel the threat behind the power. Before he had time to react, he yelped in surprise as he was suddenly lifted into the air and throw backwards into the snow. The impact was soft and didn’t hurt but it still startled him. Glaring up, he caught his brother’s panicked expression and he refrained from uttering his angry response. Instead, he simmered down his boiling emotions and he hoped that his expression showed that he had calmed but his brother was sprinting off.

Papyrus scrambled to his feet to follow but a row of bones protruded out of the earth and blocked his path.

“Sans!” He hollered after him. Sans didn’t slow or respond. He watched as he darted into the trees and then all was silent. Knocking away the bones, he ran over to where he’d last seen his brother and he slowed to a stop in confusion as the footprints proceeded into the woods a short distance before disappearing completely. It took him a moment to realize but this time, he was aware that his brother had teleported away.

When was his brother going to stop running…?  
…..  
The snow swirled around in a small funnel as Sans plopped down at the new location.

Stumbling forward, he let himself fall down into the snow and he curled up into himself.

  
‘I’m so stupid, I’m so stupid, I’m so stupid, I’m so stupid…” Clenching up his fists, he choked back his sobs. ‘I’ve already let myself get too comfortable… I retaliated against my own brother! I would have never done that otherwise…’ Since he had no skin, the cold merely passed through his bones but his soul on the other hand was exposed for the world to see and the piercing chill of the air stung. He knew laying around in the snow would eventually take its toll, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to freeze over and never wake up. That way he could at least die with the happy memories of this timeline instead of having to endure another torturous cycle of being thrown back into the blender and getting grinded down into mush. He was tired of it. He just wanted to see his baby bro smile again and not tiptoe around him like he was some kind of broken record. He’d dealt with enough punishment to have grown accustomed to it; to start showing concern now only intensified the despair. It wasn’t fair that he was being tantalized by this sweet treat dangling in front of him when he knew it would just be yanked away, leaving him feeling even more starved.

  
That’s it… there was no point to continue, nor was there a point to dying. Either way, it was all just going to be reset anyway. The human was due to turn up in a couple of days and then the ‘natural order’ would be restored. He felt his nonexistent stomach clench up and he closed his eyes. He hoped the cold would numb his aching heart and take away the pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing fanart by Fagraea on deviantart.  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Dim-Light-607524280?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=2  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Monster-s-Heat-609911022?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=0


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soul fucking! Heheh...

Papyrus stopped around all of his brother’s most visited sites. He stopped by Chillbys’, his sentry post, the mushroom cavern, the echo flower field, the starry crystal grotto and even the falls. All places turned up empty and after demanding the monsters in the surrounding areas if they’d seen his brother, the results were turning up empty. He was beginning to panic. Where else could his brother have gone? The underground was not all that big and with the constant brawls breaking out between monsters, their numbers were dwindling.

He was beginning to worry that his brother might have had an unfortunate ‘accident’. Every day they lived their lives knowing that it could be their last. That was why Papyrus had worked so hard to get to the top of the food chain. He wanted to ensure Sans and himself were not to be trifled with.

 

His brother had said “none of this is real…” What did he mean by that? Did he think that Papyrus’ sudden change was because he was dreaming or what? Perhaps he needed to show him that he was still the same.

 He wanted so desperately to show his affection but he didn’t know how. It wasn’t like he could just ask another monster; and even if he could, they probably wouldn’t have any better answers than what he could come up with.

 ....

 

Sans stared blankly up at the sky. All thoughts and emotions were dull and he didn’t even care to budge as a couple of monsters’ voices echoed uncomfortably nearby. If they found him, they were sure to finish him off for an extra free sum of experience. Not like he was worth much though…

As their voices drifted closer, Sans went limp with defeat. Might as well have it end quickly rather than slow and cold. Just as they were about to walk right by his location, he suddenly felt a powerful urge to hide. He wanted to ignore it, but the feeling only intensified and he managed to stiffly drag a pile of snow over his body to better cover the red jacket.

The two monsters in question passed by without even glancing in his direction and he breathed out a sigh of relief.

He would have just let them find him, but the idea of another monster being the cause of his death besides his ‘brother,’ made his soul spark a little bit of life back into him.

He couldn’t die like this. His brother needed him! Even if his brother sometimes inflicted him pain, the fact that he wasn’t dead was proof enough that his brother cared and that was all he needed to continue. It hurt to know it was all going to disappear and go right back to square one but that was life. It was never fair, and he needed to remind himself that he wasn’t alone. Okay… he was alone with remembering all the resets, but time after time, he had seen monsters in similar or even worse situations of abuse, torture, emotional trauma, sexual assault and all other horrid situations. He didn’t make it this far by being a cry baby, a boohoo-why-me kind of monster. No! He made it this far by remembering the good times! No matter how small, simple or little they were. This reset was the best by far and as long as he didn’t forget it, then that was all he needed.

With his determination renewed, Sans rolled onto his stomach painfully and tried to force himself onto his feet but his stiff, sore, cold limbs failed to hold his weight and he dropped back down to the icy ground.

“S-s-shit…” Sans teeth started to chatter from the freezing temperatures and he slowly curled into himself, hoping to hold onto what little heat he had left. He was powerless to so much as move anymore. Now all he could do was hope and pray that his brother would find him before he adorned the white snow with a speckled gray.

…….

 

Papyrus decided to check the forest last. It was the only area of the whole underground he hadn’t bothered to check yet. For one, he’d rarely seen Sans enter the forest, and the other being he considered Sans to have run off somewhere to get some peace and quiet. A blasting blizzard was not the idle location to ‘cool’ one’s head. Papyrus paused as he pondered his words and he outwardly groaned. Sans was wearing off on him, even if Sans had learned rather quickly not to say puns around him. He would mostly hear Sans whitty mouth when he thought he was alone or when he was trying to irritate another monster.

 Picking back up the pace, he zigzagged through the forest looking for trails or any signs of life. The first thing he spotted was a pair of footprints leading further into the woods. Sans would probably veer away from the footprints to be alone but Papyrus decided it was better than just staring at an endless white blanket of snow.

 As Papyrus drew closer to the edge of the massive cavern, he began to feel like he was wasting his time. Soon enough, he came to a halt at the rockwall. Growling in irritation, he doubled backwards and followed the prints back towards town. What a waste of time…

 When he got to the branch in the trail from where he had first encountered the tracks, he considered following his own trail back to avoid any unnecessary and unwanted encounters. However something tugged at the back of his mind, egging him on down the other path leading the opposite direction of when he had first followed them.

 Trusting his sixth sense, he continued following the trail, while keeping his eyes trained on the woods around him. It wasn’t until he had walked a good distance that he slowed to a halt out of frustration. The trail had arched away from town and was making it’s way further back into the woods. He realized the footprints were probably from the patrol dogs of Snowdin.

 Annoyed, he turned to head back before something red caught his eye. Scrunching up his brow ridge in confusion, he walked over cautiously. The red fabric barely poked out of the snow and looked an awful lot like a trap.

As he neared, his eyes widened in a panic as he caught sight of a small white head poking out of the snow, blending in almost perfectly if not for it’s unusual smoothness. Dropping down onto his knees, Papyrus dug the body out of the snow and pulled out the unconscious monster. Sans lay limply in his arms with his eye sockets blank and empty.

Hoisting him up into his arms, Papyrus shakingly pulled up Sans’ shirt to check the soul underneath the layers. Just as he feared, Sans soul was already very cold and dim. He had minutes if not seconds left to live.  He needed to supply warmth immediately!

Papyrus glanced around desperately but there was nothing he could use. Staring down at the cracking soul, he did the next best thing. With careful hands, he withdrew Sans soul from his chest and placed it within his own rib cage next to his soul. Papyrus willed his magic to heat up and vibrate against his brothers, in hopes of bringing back the warmth it needed. His whole body shuddered at the sensation but he shrugged it off. He needed to quickly get his brother home and wrapped up.

Here he was out in the middle of nowhere, cradling his brother’s near dead body and soul fucking him to keep him warm… this had to be the worst-best idea at heating up another soul. Later he could feel guilty about the god awful idea, but right now he needed to focus.

Sprinting towards town, he ignored the curious glances monsters’ cast him. He was in a hurry and if any monster made the foolish mistake of crossing his path, they were as good as dead.

As he approached the doorstep to their house, he wasted no time rushing inside and sprinting up the remaining steps to his bedroom.

Papyrus carefully lowered Sans onto his bed before tucking him in and then bolting out of the room to find more layers. When he returned, he carried a stack of blankets that he hastily layered on top of each other and the weak body smothered beneath them. The pile was probably unnecessary but his mind wasn’t thinking straight.

Satisfied with his work, he slid under the covers next to his brother and pulled him up tightly against his chest. His body was beyond frozen but as they settled in, he kept his soul vibrating. He desperately hoped to revive his brother quicker.

 The time ticked by and his brother had yet to show any signs of waking. On the bright side, he was a lot warmer and he was extremely relieved he had found his brother on time. Any later and he would have been a pile of dust.

As Sans’ showed the first signs of life and he began to stir, Papyrus’ heart sang with joy! ...What he didn’t expect was a deep pleasured moan to escape his brother….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing fanart by Fagraea on deviantart.  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Dim-Light-607524280?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=2  
> http://fagraea.deviantart.com/art/Monster-s-Heat-609911022?q=gallery%3AFagraea%2F52389889&qo=0


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the wait. I completed chapter 12 last week, but it felt rushed and out of place, so I completely rewrote it.

Papyrus flushed and pulled away. He was not expecting that reaction… well not entirely anyway. Soul sharing was very intimate and showed two monsters devotion and respect. In his case, he was treading on that delicate unity, but what else was he supposed to do? He had limited options and none of them could secure his brothers safety. 

Sans shifted in the bed and moaned again. This time it sounded a lot less pleasant. Slipping out of bed, Papyrus decided to take this time to prepare dinner. He wanted his brother to eat something as soon as he woke up to level out his magic and assist in his regeneration. He had used up a lot of his magic and it needed to be replenished. 

Setting to work in the kitchen, he body switched to autopilot as his mind drifted off into thought. 

What was he going to say when Sans woke up? His brother could have easily freed himself from the snow, which only spiked his worse fears. His brother had tried to die. There was no going around that. Had he truly upset his brother that much? Perhaps his sudden changes were having the opposite effect. Perhaps he needed to work into the changes more gradually. As much as he hated the idea of shouting at his brother or inflicted him pain, maybe he needed to return to that to show his brother he was still himself. 

Slipping the last of the ingredients into the pan, Papyrus covered the pot with a lid and climbed back up the stairs to check on his brother. 

Sans was still out cold, but his breathing was a lot softer and more steady. Thankfully, he didn’t appear to be having any nightmares either. Maybe he thought he was already dead… 

Feeling the weight of his sins, he sat on the end of the bed and clasped his head in anger. He had sexually, verbally and physically abused his brother. It was no wonder he had tried to end his own life. He would have probably broken long before now. It was a wonder how his brother remained strong for so long and how had he not seen it before. Despite everything Sans had been through and dealt with, he still loved him unconditionally and tried his best to please him. 

As Papyrus sat in the dimness of the room, he came to a conclusion. Once his brother was awake, he would have a serious conversation with him. No beating around the bush, no finding excuses, no stalling for time. He would share everything on his mind. He needed answers and the only way to get that was for someone to take the first step. Sans was unlikely to be the first to talk, so Papyrus took it upon himself. There was a chance he would just look like a fool and Sans would only pull further away but there was also a chance that Sans would finally tell him everything. Sans had said, “none of this matters,” and he knew there was a deeper meaning to those words. He wasn’t going to back down until he got the answers he needed, even if he had to be a little forceful.

….

Sans shifted under the covers and his cracked his eyelids open, staring blearily around the room in confusion. As soon as they fell on Papyrus, he opened and closed his eyes a couple times to clear his vision before he abruptly sat up in bed.

“Papyrus!” 

“I made some soup.” Standing up, he made for the door before pausing and adding, “stay in bed.” His authorative tone had Sans straightening to attention. 

As Papyrus exited, he wasn’t sure if he should slam the door or close it gently to keep up appearances, which resulted in the door flying closed before it slowed to a click. 

Papyrus blushed at how stupid that just looked. He was being too obvious that he was unsettled. Why was it so hard to just act natural? Sure he’d been trying to change the last week, but that’s a week compared to years of refined hard training. Perhaps it wasn’t necessarily hard, he was just other thinking it. 

Arriving in the kitchen, he slammed a bowl down on the counter in frustration. No more thinking then. Ladling a serving of soup, he returned to his room to find Sans sitting on the edge of his bed. As he entered, the other skeleton made no notice of having heard him. 

“Sans.” His brother jumped in surprise and turned to face him. “I said stay in bed, not on the bed.” It took a moment to click before the smaller skeleton scrambled back under the sheets. 

Actually, this wasn’t so bad. He could talk with authority without upsetting himself or really harming Sans. This was much easier than laying his hands on him. (In case a few of you are unfamiliar with this term: ‘To lay your hands on someone’ is an Idiom for causing someone harm.)

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Papyrus grabbed the spoon and dipped it into the soup before bringing it up to Sans teeth. His eyes widened in surprise and he looked between the spoon and his brother. 

“Eat.” Sans cautiously parted his teeth and the spoon’s contents were tipped in. The soup was far tastier than anything his boss had ever cooked before. As Papyrus brought the spoon back up, he parted his teeth a lot more eagerly. His previous nervousness of being fed by another was all but forgotten. 

As the bowl was emptied, Papyrus smiled in appreciation. Sans rarely finished a full meal and he appeared to have enjoyed the soup a lot more than anything else Papyrus had ever made. He needed to remember everything he did to prepare the soup for when he decided to cook it again. 

When he stood to leave, Sans grabbed the edge of his glove. Papyrus paused in confusion while Sans hastily released his grip and glanced away, but not before mumbling out, “Thank you.” 

“Would you care for seconds?” He knew his brother would decline, but he wanted to at least ask. What he wasn’t expecting was a nod. Really? His teeth stretched to an uncomfortable degree as he smiled genuinely. He couldn’t even remember the last time he smiled. It almost hurt, but at the same time, his soul felt lighter and glowed with warmth, more so than he had ever experienced in his whole life. He practically glided down the stairs as he dished out another serving and hastily returned to his room. 

“C-can I sit up and eat this m-myself?” Sans’ cheeks glowed red at the awkward question. He couldn’t believe he was having to ask that.

“Of course.” Feeling relieved, Sans propped up against the bed frame and held his hands out expectantly. Papyrus handed the bowl over and sat at the end of the bed. He watched in silence as the other ate. It felt comfortable and nice for once. Sans was even relaxed. 

Papyrus took this moment to prepare himself. He was enjoying the peace, but now was better than later to get the answers he needed. 

“Sans, I need the honest true.” The smaller skeleton went on high alert as his younger brother’s tone darkened. “I know my sudden changes are upsetting you. I may have tried a little too hard this past week, but I am still me. I just came to a realization that my methods of strengthening you were hurting rather than helping and I want to try and fix things.” When he received no response, he sighed and continued talking. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed. Your smiles are fake, you calling me brother is,” Papyrus swallowed thickly, “fake, and then you started saying ‘none of this is real!’ Well it’s real to me!”

Sighing, Sans set his bowl off to the side and held his brother’s stare.

“I was that obvious huh… heh…” Wringing his hands together, Sans cast his eyes downwards as he spoke. “Do you… remember dying?” 

“Dying?” What did he mean? Since when had the Great Papyrus died? 

“I’ll take that answer as a no…” Sans sighed again and lifted his head. “I do.” 

Asking questions wouldn’t get him anywhere, so he waited patiently for Sans to continue.

“I’ve seen you die so many times, I’ve lost count. Again, and again, and again…” Papyrus searched his brother’s eyes, but they held his gaze. Within swirled a mixture of emotions, anger, sadness, loneliness, defeat. “After a while, I just stopped caring. What was the point? After every reset, everyone forgets.” 

“Reset?”

“I’ll start from the beginning. As you know, King Asgore started collecting human souls after his and Queen Toriels adopted human child died and their son, Prince Asriel attempted to take them to the surface to find peace only to be killed by the humans. Monsters already despised humans, but princess Chara was an exception and the monsters began to regain hope that the rift between both sides would mend. Once Chara died, that hope turned to rage and the hatred we monsters harbored towards humans only grew.”

“Yes, I’ve heard this story before. Where are you going with this?” Papyrus’ irritation slipped through. He wanted Sans to talk but he was just explaining their history, something all monsters knew. 

“I was getting there… So the sentries started gathering the human souls. Seven were needed to break the barrier. By the sixth, we increased the number of sentries on duty, hoping to find that last required soul and reach the surface… but the seventh child was nothing like the others. This child was filled with determination.”

The last bit Papyrus had not heard. So the underground had found a seventh soul, so what happened to it? He wanted to ask, but he reframed. He knew Sans was getting there. 

“This child was known as Frisk. Time after time, they tried to befriend the monsters, but their attempts were rebuked. Despite all this, they pushed forward. The other humans before them just attacked in fear or tried to flee, but this child stood their ground. When they got to me… I didn’t ask questions, I did as I was instructed and I…” Sans paused in his story as his breathing began to accelerate. “It was the first time I killed… I always hated fighting. Down here it’s kill or be killed, but I chose to avoid all contention.” The smaller skeleton paused to gather his thoughts before he continued. “When I made to grab the soul to bring it to the king, I was suddenly absorbed in a blinding light. As the light died, I had returned to a full week prior to the event. At first I didn’t realize what was going on. I asked around town… got a few nicks and bruises on my bones in the process, but I was able to gather enough information to understand that time had rewound.”

“Wait, so that human turned back time? That’s what you mean by a reset?”

“Yes.”

“And everyone else forgets these resets?”

“Correct.”

“Then why do you remember?” 

Another pause, much longer than usual transpired before Sans spoke. “I used to work in the labs… under Gaster.”

“Hold on, that doesn’t make sense. Surely I would remember that! The memories I supposedly lost are only between the gaps between two resets. If you worked in the labs, that would be before this seventh human fell to the underground.” 

Sans smiled ever so slightly. “You were always so bright. Even as a child your level of thinking was well beyond that of any normal monster.” Papyrus’ disbelief subsided at the gentleness of his brother’s tone and the praise he received. 

“And you’re right, you should have remembered, but you didn’t. Papyrus, do you remember the old royal scientist before Alphys?”

“I’ve heard there used to be a mastermind behind the core and the creation of the weather controls for each section of the caverns.”

“Those were created by the first royal scientist, Wingdings Gaster. Our father.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wha? Two chapters in the same day? Why yes, yes there are two chapters in the same day. I didn't post a chapter last week, so I decided to get two chapters done by this week. Besides, these two chapters are both part of the explanation and I don't want to keep ya waitin.

“Our father?” Papyrus echoed in response. This was the first time he’d heard anything about their parents from Sans. “So our father was the previous Royal Scientist? What happened to him?”

“I'll have to start from the beginning. Gaster and I were in charge of soul experimentation. We used a machine known as the DT extractor to extract human determination and use it on monster souls to analyze the effects and try to use it as a tool to break the barrier.”

“What exactly is determination?” 

“Determination is the essence of a human soul that grants the human the power to persist after death. We believe it was by this power that the humans erected the barrier and trap us below ground.”

This slow explanation was driving Papyrus mad. 

“That still doesn’t explain how Gaster disappeared or why you can experience resets… unless…” Papyrus eyes widened in horror as realization sunk in.

“So you figured it out?” The question was rhetorical. His expression said enough. “I was one of experiments tested with DT. In fact, before I was even born I had been injected with a small dose of determination. As I grew, Gaster would bring me into the lab to run more tests. All other monsters injected with determination melted or turned to dust. I alone was the sole survivor of the experiments. Having been injected with small increments over the span on my life, my body was compatible with DT. It is by this determination in my soul that I am able to experience and remember resets.”

“Does that mean if you were to die, you’d be able to persist after your death?”

Sans gulped with unease. He hated diluting such imperative information. It made him feel vulnerable, but then he reminded himself that this was his brother. Despite all the rough beatings he’d received, his brother always knew when to hold back and prevent any serious injury… although… a timeline or two, his brother had been so furious with him, he’d dusted him. Those were unpleasant memories that he regretted bringing back to light. 

“Theoretically yes.”

“Wait, but haven’t you experienced resets, so shouldn’t you know?”

“Death… is like falling into an endless sleep. At first there’s pain, and then it just fades away into nothing. I can’t say what a normal monsters death feels like. I’ve never had a normal death. All the times that I’ve died have ended in either a painful slash across the ribs or having my skull crushed in. Don’t exactly want to remember them… but before I died each time, I was able to hold my body together for at least a few minutes, so I believe my determination was enabling me that time. After I die, I kind of drift through my thoughts, reflecting back on what I’d done wrong and how I could improve, or what to avoid to prevent a repeat. As soon as a reset happens, I get an unpleasant tingling sensation before I am yanked back by an invisible elastic band.”

“Alright, so that explains the resets and determination, but what happened to… Gaster?”

“King Asgore had demanded Gaster start on a new project. He was getting more and more desperate as time passed on. He wanted to be rid of the stuffiness of the underground. He wanted to be free and exact his revenge.” Sans paused again to clear his throat before continuing. “During one of his particularly bad days, Asgore summoned Gaster to his living quarters… the two were known to be… lovers of sorts, but when Gaster emerged, he was badly bruised and his bones were worse for wear. Gaster was furious at Asgore’s rough treatment… so he sought me out instead. He dragged me from bed and brought me into the lab. I was around twelve at the time. He cuffed me down to the examination table and started experimenting… in more ways than just for science…”

Papyrus’ magic flared within his soul. The implications were no mystery. 

“By the end of the night, my soul was in shambles, my bones creaked and ached all over, my skull felt like someone had filled it with lead and I lost the magic in my right eye.”

“H-how could…” Papyrus’ hands clenched tightly onto his forearms, his sharp fingers pierced the bone painfully, but he didn’t care. His brother had suffered all of this and yet… he never knew… He was no better than their father after everything he’d done…

“When I was finally allowed to leave, I tried to gather my things as quickly as I could, but Gaster stopped me. His eyes were dark and shadowed. He looked years older than he actually was and he looked so tired… he told me that night, take care of your brother. I didn’t fully understand what he was implying at the time. I was just so shaken up and wanted to go home. I yanked my arm free and fled…”

“You mean…”

“Father didn’t return for a couple of days, I just assumed he’d holed himself back up into the lab like he did on numerous occasions before, but that was until the royal guard showed up at our doorstep demanding we vacant the premises before they forcefully removed us.”

“We were kicked out of our home just because our father died?” Papyrus asked incredulously. But now that he thought about it, this world was an unforgiving place. Monsters were selfish and would take any opportunity they are given to get what they want. Perhaps another monster desired their home and now that only two children were in their way, they could take it forcefully.

“Not quite. It was more like we had never lived in that house at all. We were trespassers as far as they were concerned. Without a word, I gathered whatever I could and left, taking you with me. There weren’t many safe places left to live in the underground, so I found a decent hiding place at the dump. I was so confused, I didn’t understand everything that was happening, but due to my determination, I was able to connect my subconscious mind to alternate timelines. At first I thought I was just having nightmares, but I learned with time that they were memories. Through these dreams, I was able to understand what had happened, Gaster had gotten low that night and had thrown himself into the core, but he didn’t die. More like this body broke apart at the cellular level. He became tiny particles that got lost through space and time. This in effect caused all monsters memories of him to either fade or become altered in some way. Hence the reason why monsters know the previous royal scientist made the core but they don’t remember his name or face.”

Everything was clicking into place. His brother’s missing eye, his laziness, how they had ended up at the dump, what happened to their parents, Sans childhood, having been scouted out by the royal guard, being the only skeletons in all of the underground, the weird machine in their basement, why his brother was smarter then he let on… it was all making sense! As ridiculous as the story sounded, puzzle pieces that had never quite fit in before were now clicking into place. The biggest mysteries of his life were being answered all at once but they were not the explanations he was expecting. 

“I have one last question.”

Sans slumped up against the bedframe, feeling the weight of the world come crashing down. He’d just shared his deepest darkest secrets and he felt more exhausted then he had ever felt in his entire life.

“What is it?” He asked quietly.

“When is the human due to show up?” Sans looked up in surprise. He searched his brother for any signs of disbelief, reproach or judging eyes but he only saw trust and understanding. 

“Two to three days.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have any of you ever read some of the bookmarks people put? Some are quite humerus. XD

Sans couldn’t sleep the following night. His mind was too preoccupied with thoughts on the nearing reset and everything he had shared with his brother. If things ended badly, his brother would forget everything and their lives would continue like the past week had never even happened. It hurt to think about losing this new strange bond he had developed with his brother. On numerous occasions, he’d reminded himself to not get his hopes up but he had already fallen.  
Laying on his side, he hoped tomorrow never came.  
…..

Papyrus was not fairing much better. His mind swam with the new information and he feared he’d lose the progress he had made with his brother. Sans rarely, if at all opened up. Now that he had the answers he sought, he refused to lose them. Sans had said it was by determination that he was able to remember… what if… 

Shaking away the thought, he willed his mind to clear and he focused on calming his breathing. Not long after, he dozed off to sleep.  
….

The following morning, Papyrus was up before the rising light. He set to work preparing a quick and easy breakfast. He had a lot to do today and not a whole lot of time.  
Finishing his breakfast in a few bites, he stored the remainder in the fridge and left Sans a note on the counter guiding him to the fridge to find his own portion before he darted out the door. Sans never mentioned Alphys in his explanation the other day, but he figured she’d at least have spare notes stashed away somewhere he could check. 

Upon arriving at the lab, Papyrus pounded on the door. They were running out of time. He heard a grumbled response from the other side and shortly after, the deadbolt lock clicked free. 

As the door slid open, Alphys poked her head out with a glare.

“What do you want?!” She snapped angrily for having been woken up. It took her a few seconds of clearing up to realize who she was addressing before her posture and tone changed.

“Papyrus? W-what can I do for you?” 

Skipping past the pleasantries, Papyrus got straight to busy. “I am looking for some documents.” 

“Documents? Of what kind?”

“Do you have any notes regarding something known as Determination?” Her reaction was immediate, the yellow lizard paled in shock and quieted. Intrigued by the reaction, Papyrus stepped through the door and Alphys backed up before he closed it behind him. “Judging by your reaction, I’d say you do.” Alphys remained fixated at the door and didn’t answer.

“Whatever your association with the determination, that is not why I am here.”

“Y-you’re not?”

“I need to get determination for myself.”

“YOU WHAT!?” 

“Sans explained that it is because of determination that he is able to remember resets.”

“Heh… heh heh… hahaha HAHAHA…. You want determination? Are you sure you fully understand what it is you are asking?” Alphys’ grin stretched out with a sneer.

“Explain.”

“Have you ever considered why monsters disappeared all those years ago? Have you ever wondered what would be the most painful way to die? Have you ever felt your body melt from the inside out?”

“Yes. No and no.”

“To hear the screams of your experiments as they wreath on the examination table, bodies crumbling, melting, clumping together, disfiguring right before your eyes... It’s quite exhilarating.” Alphys’ eyes stared off into the distance, lost in the past with an emotionless smile pulled around her snout.

“Sans summed that up for me, I don’t need a more detailed explanation. So back to my question, can I see the files?”

Alphys’ eyes refocused on Papyrus’ face and she nodded before heading back further into the lab with Papyrus following close behind.

“The determination has many files on record of theories, hypothesis, trials, experimentations, failures, fusions, embryonic cell tests. The previous scientist studied them all. Most turned out to be failures, but Sans alone was the lone survivor of the experiments. Unless you count the previous royal scientist of course.”

“What do you mean?”

“That man was a mad man, I never met the guy, but his records speak for themselves. His experiments were not going well, so he started experimenting on himself. Nearly dusted himself in the process too, if not for quick wit and chance of luck. He should have melted like the others but he managed to remove the determination from his soul with a syringe and an excess container of magic. He removed most of the determination but a small drop remained which in effect forced his body to remain in between the state of a liquid and a solid.”

“What happened to the doctor?”

“It is believed he fell into the core, but no one knows for sure. I suspect he threw himself into it. I mean what lousy scientist ‘“accidentally” falls into their own creation?” Alphys pulled open the door marked with the bathroom symbol and gestured him inside. Papyrus’ expression morphed into confusion before he quickly swapped it with indifference and stepped inside. The room was empty save for a panel on the back wall. Alphys locked the door behind them before scurrying over to the panel and pushing the button. Papyrus steadied himself as the room shook and began to descend.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I wasn't actually planning on writing out Gaster's notes, but I felt it was necessary. Hopefully this doesn't drive everyone crazy. ;)

 Sans stared up at the ceiling blankly. The human was due to enter the underground in less than 24 hours.

 In most cases, the human had good intentions, but from time to time, they would exit the ruins covered in dust. If Sans wanted to ensure a reset would never happen again, he would need to work twice as hard to keep the human safe. Most resets were caused by a mishap in an encounter. The human would try to reason with a monster but they could care less. The monsters only wanted experience, fame and glory. The Kings stash of human souls only lacked one more to break the barrier, that last soul being Frisk’s. Unfortunately for them, the child was untouchable. If they were killed, they would just reset. If they didn’t like an outcome, they would reset. If they were bored, they would reset. Time after time, whether the events were good or bad, it would all go back to zero. But this time Sans was more determined then ever before.

 Sans sat up in bed. His eyes burned with determination! For once, a timeline wasn’t shit and he was not about to lose it all over again. This timeline had been the biggest change of them all, and he had high hopes that it meant something new was going to happen.

 Sliding off the bed, he descended down the stairs to find the house empty. After everything he had told Papyrus the night before, he wondered why he'd disappear now of all times.  
  
A slight twinge of panic began to sank in until he found the note on the counter specifying Papyrus had went out and that food was in the fridge. That in itself cleared up his concern for the underground resetting early. Papyrus wouldn't have bothered to cook him food or leave him a note.  
  
 Sighing, he collapsed onto the couch. What now? In normal circumstances, he would have just went to his post by the ruins but after their talk yesterday, they agreed they'd go down together to confront the human.  
  
 After a couple of hours passed, Sans grumbled and pushed himself off of the couch. He couldn't stand all this waiting. Papyrus didn't specify where he'd went in his note, so he had no idea where to find him or when he'd be back.

 Grabbing the notepad, he scribbled down his own note letting Papyrus know he'd be stopping by Alphys lab to check up on a few things. Satisfied, he left the note next to Papyrus’ before teleporting out of the house and landing just outside Alphys’ lab.  
  
.....  
 Papyrus sat at a desk with a small pile of notes. Alphys had vacated the room to make herself some ramen while she waited.  
  
 He was grateful for the silence as he read through the files. Most of the documents were written in a strange dialect but for whatever reason, he understood the characters and was unhindered in his search. A lot of the information covered Gaster's research on developing the core. Interestingly enough, the core not only powered the whole underground but it also kept tabs on the anomaly. Apparently the data was transferred to an external machine. When Alphys returned with her steaming bowl of ramen, he asked her about the machine. Alphys looked at him with a strange expression before answering.  
  
"I've heard of the machine... But I don't know where it went. It disappeared along with the previous royal scientist..." Her expression suggested she had more to say, so Papyrus waited patiently before she resumed talking.  
  
"D-do you... actually understand those symbols?"  
  
 Papyrus looked back down at the page contemplating his response before answering.  
  
"This language... feels familiar."  
  
 Alphys hummed in consideration.  
  
"Perhaps you spent more time in the lab then what is recorded in the files. Quite frankly, you're only mentioned once..."  
  
"Show me."  
  
 Alphys scurried out of the room. She was absent for only a short five minutes before she returned with a black suitcase. With steady hands, she propped it up on the table and unclasped the locks. The lid of the suitcase squeaked open from it's aged hinges. The suitcase only contained a few documents and an old rubik's cube. Picking up the cube gingerly, he twirled it around in his hands. He felt a faint tugging at his soul as a distance memory brushed along the surface of his mind but not quite breaking through. He was snapped back to awareness as Alphys spoke up.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
"No... It's nothing." Papyrus placed it back into the suitcase with care before picking up the papers. The pages were written in the same symbols from before but a few words were written in English. He assumed by Alphys' earlier comment that she couldn't read the symbols, so his name must have appeared in English. Scanning the pages, it only took him a few seconds to spot his name near the end of all the documents.

 Sitting down onto a stool, he starting reading through the first page.

 

W.D. Gaster

_Determination, the raw essence of the human soul._

_Our knowledge of Determination is limited but through our studies, we have concluded that it is by this Determination that humans have the power to persist after death. It is also believed that it is by this Determination that humans had erected the barrier._

_What is the difference between a monster and a human soul? A monster’s soul is the essence of their very being. When they fall, their bodies fade into dust. A human’s soul is not the entirety of their being but rather is their essence housed within a physical body. When they fall, their bodies remain whole while their souls break free. This is what makes humans so much more powerful._

_During the great war, I witnessed a human fall. Their comrades were still hopeful in saving their partner. Fueled by curiosity, I watched from the shadows and witnessed a miracle, or in our case a nightmare. The human was resurrected from the dead. A feat us monsters could only dream about. With this new knowledge, I brought it before the King. His hopes of winning the war broke, and he ordered us monsters to retreat underground. How could a monster whose soul is already so weak in comparison hope to fight against undead warriors?_

_Before the war, a monster’s soul was once known to be full of love, mercy and compassion. But being trapped underground with no hope of escaping has rotted our souls and turned them black and ugly like tar. Without hope, we lost our sanity and instead turned our fears, our angers, our envies toward each other._

_We want to prove to ourselves and to others that we are not weak! We are still here and we would much rather die fighting than live out our lives with false hope._

_Now our ideals are you die weak or you fight strong, because in this world, it’s kill or be killed._

 

 Papyrus finished reading the first document with raging feelings boiling inside. The monsters had once lived peacefully? That sounded impossible. Throughout his life, he had only witnessed deceit, cunning, thirst for power and dust. Clenching his teeth together, he folded the first page under the stack before he resumed reading.

 

_King Asgore has hired the best scientists to study determination and find a way to break free from this wretched place. I W.D. Gaster have vowed to stake my life on my research and find a solution to our problems. I have spent years studying and experimenting with Determination and I believe it is the key to our future._

_If a monster could harness this power, the barrier trapping us below ground would be but a simple obstacle to remove. Unfortunately, each test subject thus far has failed to withstand even a small dose of Determination. This power is too great for any sole monster to harness. With each passing experiment, our volunteers dwindle. Taking drastic measures, I brought my concerns forward to the Kind and we received the green light to take in the ill or nearly fallen monsters are test subjects._

 

 Papyrus paused in his reading to find an awkward break in the page. Almost as if a piece of the document was deleted. Tucking away that tidbit for later, he carried on.

 

_The King shut down my experiments. His reason being they were too “dangerous.” I say fuck him! Although really I’m his bitch…  or more like his stress reliever... Either way, I refuse to give up my research when I’ve gotten so close._

_If I can’t experiment with other monsters, then I will just have to make do with myself. Any monsters injected with determination have melted or turned to dust, so I must tread carefully, but what kind of scientist would I be if I didn’t put my life on the line? Great research is not without risks. I believe that if I were to water down the Determination and only take a sliver of a dose, my body would be able to contain the power._

 

_The experiment was a success! It was excruciatingly painful but my body didn’t break down. I am taking things slow and checking my vitals regularly but I am not seeing any side affects yet. Do I dare try another attempt?_

 

_Failure! I nearly dusted myself with the second dose. If I hadn’t removed the excess Determination, I would have fallen. Thankfully I survived but my body has taken a toll. I am barely able to hold a physical form now. Experimenting on myself isn’t going to work. I need a new test subject, one that the King can’t know about._

 

_After careful consideration, I have realized I need a monster who doesn’t exist yet, such as a clone. Cloning is a feasible way to run my experiments without harming myself and still studying the effects of Determination. My body still contains a small portion of Determination and I theorize that this small dose will transfer over to my clones, enabling their bodies to have better resistance. This might be the key to solving my problems. Start from the first stages of life and build up a monster soul that can harness the power without falling apart._

_While this idea sounds like my best option, it is no simple matter. Cloning requires a female host and injecting one's magic and pieces of soul into the womb, while removing any traces of the female monster’s magic to keep the clones pure and unaltered. That brings up the biggest challenge, I will need to find a female monster willing to play the part of a living incubator._

_That does remind me of one particular monster who used to have a fancy in me. She was always following me around and being a nuisance, but If I play my cards right, I might be able to use her._

_I managed to find her hanging out around Hotland and after some persuasion, she agreed to assist on one condition, she wanted to keep one child._

 

 As Papyrus finished reading the second page, his jaw grinded together. So Sans and himself were clones that shared no connection with their mother? There only purpose in life was to be an experiment?


	16. Chapter 16

 Sans knocked on the door to the lab and stepped back. He was greeted with silence. Confused, he tried again. When he received no response, he tried the door and it slid open. Why was it left unlocked? Stepping through, he closed it behind him and made sure the bolt locked in place. The building was empty but the lights were on. Alphys was probably downstairs. Sans clicked the button to call the elevator and he waited for his ride down.

…..

_Preparing the subject and transplanting my soul was a simple matter. The hardest part was finding a host, but it turned out to be no problem as well._

 

_03/12/19XX_

_Within a week of transplanting my soul, a clone appeared within the vessel. Skeleton monsters have a four month development period within the womb. The first three months are the growth stage and the remaining month the soul is finalizing maturity and stabilizing its magic._

 

_I would like to begin inserting determination into the specimen before they are removable from the host, but I must reframe to give the subject time to grow. If the specimen dies, then that will set me back some time, but at the very least I will learn about the effects of inserting Determination into an underdeveloped soul. If this experiment is a success, I can try running the same experiment on another monster. A monster whose child is not already infected with determination from the parent. While my determination might help develop the new souls immunity, it might not be the only solution. Perhaps my struggles resided with aged subjects and I needed to think lower._

 

_04/15/19XX_

_My first injection showed no side effects. The soul within the womb appears to be unharmed or unaffected by the DT. This is the biggest breakthrough I have made since I first took up this project. The question still remains though, is this the cause of the Determination in my own soul transferring over or because I started at the earliest stages of life? This remains to be scene and I will test this at a later date._

 

_05/08/19XX_

_The second trial of injections also transferred over to the specimen with no signs of damage. I have been making sure to only use small doses. I wouldn’t want to ruin my experiment with how much progression I’ve made._

 

_06/13/19XX_

_After the third injection, the subject started to show the first signs of warning. The soul temporarily started to melt, before it miraculously solidified again. This has never occurred before. I wish I can experiment further but with three months having passed, to start over now would be a waste. I will wait out the fourth month before I remove the subject and resume my experiments._

 

_07/14/19XX_

_The host has gone into labor. In case of a problem with the delivery, I will use a human method known as a C-section to remove the subject safely. Unfortunately for the host, I lack any pain killers. They will just have to manage._

 

_The first clone was a success, but it is rather small and needy. It hadn’t crossed my mind that the subject would start off as a child. No matter, with time I will find a solution for the noise. For now I will link the subject up to life support and a magic regulator to keep the soul's energy stabilized._

  _I will give the subject a couple weeks to gain strength before I start my next tests. The first signs of magical strain shown within the womb has me concerned that my following tests are going to require additional care and caution. I have also brought up the issue of preparing the second clone with my donator, but after the strain of delivering the first, they requested a few months time to rest and recover. I agreed to a six month recuperation period._

 

 After finishing the third page, Papyrus sat the pages down onto the desk and leaned back in his chair. Who was the woman mentioned in the notes? The monster known as Gaster only referred to her as the host, a vessel or a donor. Why? Standing up, Papyrus made his way back over to the elevator.

 Alphys stared after him confused. “Where are you going?”

“Don’t bother putting the documents away. I’ll be back shortly.” Just as Papyrus reached the elevator, the doors slid open. Standing inside was Sans whose expression morphed from surprise to confusion. Papyrus looked unfazed but he felt an odd twinge of guilt. ‘Why do I feel guilty?’

“P-Papyrus, what are you d-doing here?”

“I was here on some Royal Guard business. What are you doing here?”

 Sans glanced away and fidgeted nervously. “I-I was going to ask Alphys for a f-favor.” Papyrus raised an eye socket at the obvious lie. If you’re going to lie, at least try to keep somewhat composed.

“What kind of favor?”

 Sans was looking everywhere but at his boss. “Well…” Sans was at a loss for words before it suddenly occurred to him, he had a ticket out. “Alphys has cameras strewn around the underground. I was wondering if we could use those to our advantage.”

 Alphys choked out in the background and Papyrus looked back at her with interest.

“Oh really~ Tell me more about these cameras…” Sans inhaled sharply. ‘Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.’ Maybe making note that he knew about them wasn’t such a good idea...

 Alphys coughed a couple times to correct her breathing before she responded.

“I just have a couple cameras placed near the lab to protect against intruders. Although, I do have a couple cameras on the outskirts of Snowdin. Those are mostly used for scouting out any humans that might pass through the ruins.” Alphys’ hands tightened together with nervousness.

“You know Sans, using those cameras is actually a good idea.”  
  
 Sans shifted in place. While the praise made him happy, the fact that he used a lie to get it made him feel uncomfortable.

 Papyrus stared Sans down quietly, while sweat beaded on Sans skull under the scrutiny. Papyrus was well aware that the cameras were brought up as a means to dodge the real reason for his visit. While he felt frustrated for not being trusted by his brother, he was still impressed with the new information he acquired. This brought up the question of, how much did Sans really know? And how much was he still withholding?

 Not wanting to press the matter, he decided to trust his brother. ‘Sans wouldn’t do me wrong. If he thought it best to remain silent, then I will respect that. Besides, I lied first. It would be like the pot calling the kettle black, or however that human saying went.’

“I was just about to head out to get something to eat. Would you care to join me?”

 Sans looked at Papyrus calculatingly. ‘Was that an order? It didn’t sound like an order? Can I say no?’

 Papyrus could see the gears turning in Sans head. It was obvious he was trying to discern his words as either an order or suggestion.

“You don’t have to come if you have other plans.”

 Sans shoulders sagged in relief. “T-thanks. I’ll stick around here for a while before heading home.”

 Papyrus nodded in understanding before he took the elevator up, leaving the royal scientist and his brother to look at each other in tense silence.

 Perhaps he should have taken the offer, because now he had to deal with a furious Alphys.


	17. Chapter 17

Sans was saved by the lie but at what price. Now he had to deal with Alphys.  
The second the elevator doors closed and Papyrus was out of the way, Alphys’ tail lashed back and forth in fury.

“How long have you known about my cameras?” Alphys asked coolly.

Sans nervously scratched the back of his head. Well shit, how was he suppose to explain himself out of this one.

“Look Alph, my sentry station is near the ruins, don’t think I haven’t noticed the cameras stashed around there! There’s one at my own post for fucks sake! I’ve also found one hidden behind the old worn down sentry station. There is another outside the ruin door and there’s camera wedged in between some rocks and covered in a blanket of snow by Dogressa and Dogamy’s stations. I believe the last camera I’ve found hidden was in a tree… oh wait nope, now I remember, there is also one in between all of Papyrus’ puzzles.*

Alphys’ claws glowed with bright yellow heat magic as she lunged at Sans. The smaller skeleton leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding clawed slash mark across his ribs. He had enough scars as it was. When she lunged again, he jumped to the side.

“I would kill you on the spot if it weren’t for your brother!” Sans continued dancing around Alphys, easily avoiding each attempt she tried at getting her claws on him.

“Give up you pungent, scaly bitch! Your not gonna catch me.”

His comment only irked her more. “How is it that the great and powerful Papyrus gets stuck with such a pathetic whelp such as yourself?”

“Ah Ooo… now you see… that’s where you’ve crossed the line…” Sans eye burned dark red as he summoned a femur bone weapon that materialized in the from the ceiling and slammed down piercing Alphys tail, rooting her to the ground.

The lizard monster hissed in fury and pain as she reached behind to snag at the bone only for Sans to summon a blue bone and wedge it into her chest. Alphys froze, fully aware that if she moved, the bone would inflict more damage.

Growling in frustration, she conceded in defeat. “So why are you here trashbag?”

“I need more determination.”

“Pff… hahahaha… your brother came here for much the same reason.”

Sans cocked his head to the side in confusion before his eye lights vanished in realization.

“Fuck! Papyrus is going to get himself killed…”

The scientist studied the skeleton before she slowly asked, “how much of the previous scientist do you remember?”

“Enough.” He scrutinized the other as she talked. He didn’t want to relent any information, but he was curious as to where she was going with this.

“I shared some files with your brother. They were stored inside an old suitcase and he was reading them just before you appeared. They were the only documents to mention Papyrus, but the other files I have on hand mention you a lot.”

“Oooh. So let me ask you then, how much do you know.”

“I mostly have theories and assumptions. Most of the files left behind by the previous royal scientist were written in strange symbols but I have a few on hand written in english."

“Show me.” He demanded. Alphys’ expression was neutral as she contemplated.

“Fine. But get your filthy bones out of me!” (Have fun with your imagination kiddies XD)

Sans held his hands up as a sign of truce and the bones dissipated. The second her tail was free, she swept Sans off his feet and glared down at him.

“Try anything like that again and I won’t let you off so easily.” Lifting her tail to her hands, she inspected the hole. “Could fit a nice tail ring actually.” She muttered to herself. Stopping in front of a small table with a reading lamp and old suitcase, he realized this was probably the suitcase Alphys had been referring to.

“This here is the old dusty suitcase I found. This was probably Gaster’s personal bag.”

 Lifting up the lid, he glanced inside to find three papers and an old rubik's cube. Sans picked it up shakily. Why was this still here? He was half tempted to burn the toy but he quickly buried his feelings of anger to set it aside and instead focus on the pages.

“Huh… weird.”

Sans turned to Alphys in confusion. “What?”

“I could have sworn there were more pages than that…”

There were more… Papyrus must have taken them! Wait, slow down, ask first.

“How long has Papyrus been down here?”

“Give or take an hour or two. When I showed him these documents, he got up and left in the middle saying he needed something to eat and… HE TOOK THE PAGES!” As soon as she realized, her tail thwacked the floor repeatedly. “There must have been something important he found…”

“Perhaps… let me look these pages over real fast.” Picking up the other three sheets, he quickly scoured over the information. As he finished the last page he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. These were Gaster’s personal files all right and from where he left off in the document, the following pages would explain his and Papyrus birth. Not to mention… Sans paled. Damnit! Papyrus didn’t need to learn everything! Dropping the pages back into the suitcase, he turned for the elevator. He needed to find Papyrus and talk to him.

“And where are you going?”

“To find my bro.” As the elevator lowered, he was about to step inside until he stopped and scoffed at himself. I can teleport! God get your brain out of the gutter. Porting out of the room, he landed back at his house.


	18. Chapter 18

Papyrus walked around the lobby of the lab feeling flustered. He knew he’d have to explain himself to his brother… fuck… what was he saying! He was the royal guard captain, he didn’t have to explain jack shit! He was honestly still very unsettled at having been caught snooping around the lab. He had been too absorbed in his reading to sense his brother nearby to come up with a more proper excuse other than “royal guard duties.” But Sans bought the lie. Although… he was curious what his brother’s true intentions were for visiting the lab. While the camera’s were a feasible cover story, they were nowhere near the truth. 

 

Sensing his brothers magic spike, he stood up to inspect what the commotion was, but just as quickly as it aggravated, it settled back down to a mild spark. He continued to read the faint sensations before his brother’s presence disappeared altogether, which could mean either two things, he was dusted or he teleported away. If his brother truly had been dusted, he would have felt his brothers distress, so it was the later. He must have gone out looking for him… which meant now was his time to progress before his brother caught on that he never left.

 

Taking the elevator back to the bottom floor, he was quickly met with a furious Alphys baring his way out of the shaft. She nearly struck out having not expected anyone to be riding the elevator. As she recognized the occupant, her expression leveled out to a more neutral stare and she stepped aside for him to get out. 

 

“Back so soon?” She asked.

 

“I never left.”

“Avoiding your brother?”

 

Papyrus ignored her and sat back down in his chair to finish reading. He didn’t have time to fully pour over the text as he had before, so he quickly read over the information.

 

_ 01/14/19XX _

_ Just as we had agreed, six months have passed and it is time to start anew with the second soul.  _

 

_ Upon speaking with the host, she has demanded she keep the second child. I have tried reasoning with her on letting her keep a third child, but she refuses to birth more than two. _

 

_ Reluctantly, I let the woman leave. I still have my first subject who is alive and well. Without a backup subject, my experiments will have to proceed with caution, and if push comes to shove, I will get a second soul whether it be by ripping the child away from the woman or growing a new soul artificially.  _

 

Papyrus rested his elbow on the table and his chin on his fist as he pondered what he was learning. Adjusting the pages in his free hand, he skimmed down a few paragraphs before he resumed reading. 

 

_ 05/14/19XX _

_ The first subject is developing at an accelerating rate. While they’re body has taken the downfall of stunted growth, their mind has progressed far beyond what I could have expected. They have already mastered speech and have shown signs of high intelligence. While this makes my experiment interesting, it also poses a potential threat. I may need to clip the wings of my subject. For now, I will enlist my subjects help around the lab. _

 

Reaching the end of the page, Papyrus turned to the last page.

 

_ 08/3/19XX _

_ Having been given no name, the subject has demanded some means as to be recognized. Giving the subject a name will entitle it to being a real monster instead of just an experiment. With careful consideration, I dubbed the subject ‘Sans.’ They have served me well and have earned the right to be above that of an experiment.  _

 

So Sans worked under Gaster, the previous royal scientist… that almost meant that Gaster was their father...

 

_ 10/18/19XX _

_ All progress on the determination has come to an abrupt halt. ‘Sans’ body was unable to sustain the recent dosage and his body had begun to deconstruct. I managed to hook him up to life support, but the damages have already been done. His health has settled at a measly one. Further testing will dust the subject. _

  
  


_ 10/21/19XX _

_ Now that my first subject is useless for continuing my research, it is time to locate my renegade host.  _

 

_ She has served me well by helping me progress, but it is time I reclaim what is mine. I also have to thank her for dealing with the second subjects development. The earliest stages of their life is annoying and is much preferably skipped.   _

 

_ The host made a fool's errand by trying to resist. If she had just complied, I might not have had to dust her… _

 

Papyrus froze and slammed the pages down onto the desk. Gaster killed his mother? 

 

Alphys’ had taken a seat across the room from Papyrus to read a book while she waited. She jumped startled as she heard Papyrus slam the pages down and she scowled over at him.

 

Clenching up his fists painfully, he picked up the pages again and quickly scanned over the remaining text.

 

_ 10/5/19XX _

_ ‘Sans’ has taken it upon himself to care for the second subject. He has named the new subject ‘Papyrus.’ For now I will let them bond while I prepare my next experiment. This might make the first subject more defiant, but I can use the second subject as an anchor.  _

 

_ 2/8/19XX _

_ Just as I had anticipated, ‘Sans’ has grown fond and protective of the subject 2. Separating the two, I reminded the first subject of there place and warned them that further defiance will be met with severe consequences.  _

 

_ 2/9/19XX _

_ Unlike with the first subject, the second experiment is unable to contain DT. Their first dosage was already met with a negative reaction, despite the small dosage. This sheds new light on the experiment. Determination is best tested within the womb. Without a host to conceive a third soul, my experiment is halted. _

_ 4/13/19XX _

_ My first two subjects are a waste of resources. They cannot be tampered with further and they have grown far too attached for my liking. While the first subject is still useful as a lab assistance, the second just takes up unnecessary space. I will have to remove them. _

 

_ 7/2/19XX  _

_ I have found a use for both subjects. ‘Sans’ is complacent as long as I have his ‘brother’ under my care. I have taken a new liking for my first experiment. They have proven themselves more valuable than just another helper around the lab. By having sped up their growth with infusions and tank hibernations, the first subjects heat set in early. By relieving them of their heat, I realized just how attached i’d become of subject 1. They are more than just an assistance or a subject, they are my partner. While they still try to fight me from time to time, they’re defiance is slowly diminishing by controlling their ‘brother.’ This bond they share is proving to be most useful. _

 

Papyrus pushed the pages away. He felt sick to his soul. So their “father” bed his brother? The more he read, the more he felt anger pooling into his soul and the pressure in the air increased.

 

Alphys was on high alert. She’d only seen the captain get this furious when he was out for dust. Being the nearest monster meant she was likely to be targeted. 

 

Papyrus turned cold eyes to look at the lizard monster. “Alphys.” His tone was surprisingly even for looking so blood thirsty.

 

“Yes captain?” She addressed him formally, hoping her respect would save her life. 

 

“Take me to the DT machine.”

 

“Yes captain.” Alphys strode forward down the hall with Papyrus following close behind. He was silent the whole walk down the hall, the only sound being the clicking of his boots as he walked until they stopped in front of a large skull looking metal construct. 

 

“Hook me up.”

 

Alphys looked at the royal guard captain silently in confusion before nodding.

 

“This is going to kill you.” She stated matter of factly.

  
“It won’t.” He replied with full confidence. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are finally through with the boring stuff, time to get on with the "fun" of the story!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the first anniversary of the Undertale game! Whoot whoot!

Sans blipped all over Snowdin in search of his brother, but everywhere he landed turned up empty.  

Where could Papyrus have gone? The underground only had so many places his brother frequented and if he was going out to eat, then he’d go somewhere more fancy, like MTT resort, but that turned out to be a bust. After he’d checked some more of the higher class restaurants in the capitol, he wound back at his house in Snowdin pacing around the living room in distress. The only place he hadn’t checked yet was Chillbys but his boss hated Chillbys with a passion… What other alternatives did he have? His magic was running low from his insistent ports, but he pooled it together for a final port and landed himself outside Chrillbys. Throwing open the doors, he strode inside to find the usual patrons but no brother. No surprise there… Well he was out of luck. He couldn’t find his brother and he was drained. What was he missing? While he was here, he might as well get something to eat to get some his energy back before resuming his search. He wouldn’t get very far without magic.

 

Chillby waited impatiently, his purple flames flared up in annoyance as he watched the short skeleton pause and hold the doorway open, bringing in a gust of cold air. 

 

“Shut the goddamn door!” He snapped. His voice knocked the skeleton out of whatever stupor he fell into and he closed the door before taking a seat at the bar. 

 

“I’ll have a bottle of mustard and some fries.”

 

Chillby slammed the bottle down on the counter in front of Sans with a scowl.

 

Sans hastily swiped the bottle and chugged it down, savoring the sour condiment. Chillby watched him with disgust for a second before he turned his attention to the door as it swung open and another burst of cold air filtered through. 

 

Sans opted to ignore it but heavy clad boots clicked against the hardwood and stopped just behind him. He could feel their presence weighing behind him and he turned in his seat in exasperation to tell the monster to ‘fuck off’ but his eyes narrowed when he came face to face to the snout face and his handsy friend.

 

“What do you want?” Sans snapped, his eyelights already starting to glow a faint red in warning.

 

The warthog narrowed his eyes and stared Sans down before glancing around the bar.

 

“Where’s that brother of yours?”

 

Sans shrugged nonchalantly, although on the inside he was concerned. With these new monsters around and the threat of the human returning to the underground, he couldn’t lose his brother now after they’d made so much progress. 

 

The warthog snorted in disapproval before eyeing Sans again, thoughts gearing in his head before he spoke.

 

“For the younger brother to be the head of the Royal Guard, you’d think the older brother would have esteemed to a higher rank than just a common sentry…”

 

Sans shrugged again. “To much work…”

 

Aluino and Nadar exchanged a glance.

 

“I am curious to see how the brother of the captain would fare in a fight… surely by sharing bonds you are more powerful then you let on?”

 

His eyes narrowed at their implications.

“Nah, what you see is what you get. Now move along and let me eat in peace.”

 

Sans barely managed to blip off of his seat as a large battle axe swung down and embedded itself into the bar counter, splintering it into a large gaping hole. 

 

Sans thrust his foot into Aluino’s gut and sent the spider warrior crashing into the wall while he held a sharp red bone weapon against Nadar’s neck.

 

“Nice try fatass!”

 

Nadar rounded on Sans to retaliate before he shrieked in pain as fire erupted against his back and charred his fur.

 

“Not in my bar! Fighting is not allowed!” Chillby had hopped the bar and was standing behind the warthog with his flames flared up and collecting in his palm ready to dust the monster if he dared to ignore his warning.

 

The heavy armor clad warrior glared at the bartender with a challenging stare. The hog silently analyzed the flame monster and contemplated shrugging him off but he also had a reason for his visit and a pointless bar fight would only waste energy and draw negative attention that they wanted to avoid… for now. shoving the small skeleton to the side, he strode out with Aluino following close behind.

 

Sans grinned smugly before returning to his seat at the bar.

 

“Finish your food and then get the fuck out of my bar.” Chillby slid the fries down the counter to Sans before he started cleaning up the mess left by the hog. 

 

Drenching the fries in mustard, he ate them quickly. He still had a missing brother to find. As soon as he finished eating, he pushed the empty plate away and hurried out of the bar. 

 

Once back out in the cold, he set for home again, just to verify Papyrus hadn’t returned in his absence. 

As he walked he felt eyes watching him the whole trip back to his front porch. He knew he’d been followed and he was almost certain it was the two newcomers. Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, he unlocked his front door and strode inside. As soon as the lock was clicked into place, he closed the blinds and peeked out. 

 

Nothing unusual caught his eye but he couldn’t shake the feeling he was in danger. Something didn’t sit right with him. It wasn’t until he saw a shadow pass by his peripheral did he quickly scramble away from the window in surprise. Only he realized the shadow wasn’t come from outside, it was plastered on the side wall. Freezing up in fear, he heard faint rustling of movement before the air spiked with magic. His body reacted faster than his mind and he ported to the top of the stairs. Glancing around the room in a panic, he couldn’t find the source of the shadow. But there on the floor where he’d just been standing was cobwebs spread out. 

 

Where…? Before he could even complete the thought, long arms wrapped around his body, restraining him. His arms were painfully pulled back behind him, his waist was gripped tightly to prevent struggling and another arm snaked inside his ribcage, taking hold of his soul and bringing it out into the open air. 

 

“Shh shh shh… don’t worry little skele, I’m just going to be  _ borrowing  _ you for a while~” Sans tried to calm his frantic mind to gather his magic and knock the freak off but he shrieked in pain as two sharp venom tipped fangs sank into his soul, filling his core with an intense burning sensation. Quickly numbness set in spreading throughout his body and his knees knocked, trying to hold him up before he went limp and his consciousness slipped away. 

  
Aluino grinned and caught the faint skeleton before scooping him up into his arms. Objective captured, he unlocked the front door to find Nadar already waiting for the baggage. Passing the skeleton over, he locked the door behind him and followed the warthog out of Snowdin.  


	20. Chapter Yolo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be sure to read the end notes when you have finished the chapter. :)

“You’re pretty confident… and you don’t even know the procedure. Hehehe, You might want to ask your brother~”

Papyrus stiffened but carried on, not even bothering to respond. He put his brother through hell and he deserved to pay his dues. He wanted to understand his brother and connect with him on a deeper level instead of continually being disconnected and not being able to comfort him. 

“You’re going to dust. I don’t care how confident you think you are. But that’s not my problem. I’ll send your brother your regards and tell Undyne the good news on her promotion.”

“Stop talking!” Papyrus snapped. He was losing his nerve with all her yapping and he needed to stay determined. 

Alphys hissed in annoyance but she clamped up until they reached a ram skull shaped machine with cords connecting to the cranial and jaws. 

“What is this?” He asked feeling strange vibes from the machine, almost as if it was alive…

“This is the DT extraction machine.”

“DT extraction?”

“DT is short for DETERMINATION and was drained out of the human souls we had collected thus far.”

“Is this where…”

“Oh gods no! We are implanting DETERMINATION in you not extracting! We’re only stopping here to withdraw some of the DT from the machine for your surgery~”

Papyrus didn’t react. He wouldn’t let her get to him. Watching Alphys silently, the scientist scurried around the big machine to a control panel along the wall where she punched in a command. The eyes of the skull lit up followed by the jaws parting. Cold condensed air filtered out of the opening, creating wispy trails of fog. Entering another command, the machine began to hum with soft vibrations that rattled the ground as a container slowly rolled out between the jaws. Stepping away from the panel, Alphys walked over to the box and flipped up a flap to reveal a number pad. Entering in a pincode, the box popped open. Inside contained rows of test tubes. Sliding a clawed finger over the glass tubes, she found the darkest red solution and pulled it out of the container with a gleeful smile.  
Closing the box, she returned to the panel and with a few more clicks, the machine pulled back into its original stasis position. 

“We’ve got what we need. Right this way captain.” Alphys carried the vile over to the room on the right.

He followed after the lizard monster and paused in the doorway. The walls were lined with equipment while the back wall had a tv with book shelves on either side. In the middle of the room was an examination table. 

“Lay down.”

Moving over to the table nervously, he climbed up and laid down as instructed.  
Alphys quickly began strapping Papyrus down with restraints. 

“What’s with the restraints?”

“Well I wouldn’t want you lashing out at me if things were to say… go wrong~ It’s for my own safety!”

Papyrus twitched nervously. He was starting to have doubts. No no. He was doing this for Sans…

Alphys booted up the computer in the corner of the room and began punching in keys. Turning away from the monitor, she navigated around the room grabbing cords and wheeling equipment to different positions for either use or to move them out of the way. When she finished reorganizing the room, she stopped by Papyrus’ side.

“Summon your soul.” 

Papyrus tensed and looked at her suspiciously. 

“Well?” She demanded impatiently. “Do you want to do this or not?”

Very reluctantly, he summoned his soul and cringed as Alphys grasped it none too lightly and walked away with it out of his view. Papyrus’s calm demeanor cracked when the core of his being was removed. He felt so vulnerable. If she so chose, she could just crush his heart here and now to kill him.... But she was a monster of science and wouldn’t pass up this opportunity to experiment on him… while the thought wasn’t very comforting, it was enough to appease his fear. He would get what he wanted, even if it killed him.

 

“I’m inserting the DT now.” Alphys pressed the prepared syringe against Papyrus’ soul before jabbing it inside the inverted heart. All at once a wave of intense burning heat passed through his body and he jerked in his restraints with a barely contained scream. AHHHH! FUCK! Fuck fuck fuck! It burned! Oh gods! He felt like he’d been dipped in acid. His magic flared in response to his pain and fear but it just as quickly was smothered out by the waves of agony crashing over him. He could feel his health dropping at an alarming rate and his bones began to feel like their were liquefying. So this was it… all his conviction, resolve and purpose were snuffed out by his own stupidity. How could he have thought despite all the warnings that he could overcome it? He wasn’t a god. He wasn’t as invincible as he made himself out to be. He was just another monster… a monster who had failed himself and his brother…

Thrashing in the restraints, he stared up at the ceiling, feeling darkness closing in on him, pulling him into the abyss of eternal sleep; calling him… beckoning him… closing his eyes, his struggles slowed and his soul gave another weak pulse before dimming to a dull grey. With one last flicker, it crumbled away into dust. 

The figure that lay on the table was disfigured beyond recognition. A mucky pile of white with a tattered outfit fused within the glomp. The dust from the soul was pulled to the body, fusing with the newest amalgamate of the underground. Keeping it alive in a horrifying nightmare of glitched stats. Unable to pass on or be seen as anything more than a gloppy freak. Another mistake wrought by a failed determination experiment. 

Alphys stared smugly at the newest member of her collection and flipped out her cell phone to text her girlfriend the good news. Today had been a very good day~

 

…..  
Sans sat strapped to a chair unmoving. His sockets were empty and his voice was raw from screaming for so long. Now he could only give the smallest of groans in pain while the two monsters who had taken him captive moved about taking him apart piece by piece. They had already removed all his toes and fingers along with chiseled out designs all around the circumference of his skull. They had even taken great delight in snapping off ribs in various places and getting creative with reattaching them. 

How he had not dusted was due to a test vial they had received from Alphys. It prevented a monster from dusting for a solid day and they had only just gotten started. 

When the cries died down, the pair decided it was time to up their game and they extended Red’s leg and tied it down while Aluino brought down a hacksaw to his femur. Pressing it down, he slowly grinded into the bone. When they still only received a groan of pain, Nadar growled in anger. Their fun couldn’t be cut off that early. They were still waiting on the captain of the royal guard… Picking up a bolder, Nadar smashed it against Sans’ foot, shattering the bone. Sans jerked in his chair, some life restoring to him as new air escaped his throat in a violent scream. The pain front his foot was severed along with his femur as his leg dropped to the floor. The pain only increased and he thrashed in fury. His magic attempted to take the form of his desired weapon as a last desperate retaliation but the drugs he had been given squandered his efforts and he slumped back in the chair.

Sans endured the torture for as long as he mentally and physically could handle it, believing without a doubt his brother would come save him……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………...………………………………………………But he never came…

When the day was up, he greeted death with open arms and his body faded to dust….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading this then you should know the title of this chapter. It is called, "You Just Got Trolled."  
> I'll be sure to get the real chapter posted soon. ;)


	21. Chapter 20 - The real chapter~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the real chapter! ;)

The machine he had been lead to was not what he was expecting. It’s skeletal appearance and hollow eyes felt oddly alive… 

“This is the DT extraction machine.”

Papyrus looked it over silently, ignoring the heavy weight that seemed to permeate the air. “Is this where…”

“Oh gods no! We are implanting DETERMINATION in you not extracting! We’re only stopping here to withdraw some of the DT from the machine, captain.”

Papyrus nodded and watched her silently as she scurried around the big machine to a control panel along the wall where she punched in a command. The eyes of the skull lit up followed by the jaws parting. Cold condensed air filtered out of the opening, creating wispy trails of fog. Entering another command, the machine began to hum with soft vibrations that rattled the ground as a container slowly rolled out between the jaws. Stepping away from the panel, Alphys walked over to the box to flipped up a flap on the side to reveal a number pad. Entering in a pincode, the box popped open. Inside contained rows of test tubes. Sliding a clawed finger over the glass tubes, she found the darkest red solution and pulled it out of the container with careful paws.  
Closing the box, she returned to the panel and with a few more clicks, the machine pulled back into its original stasis position. 

“We’ve got what we need. Right this way captain.” Alphys carried the vile over to the room on the right.

He followed after the lizard monster and paused in the doorway. The walls were lined with equipment while the back of the room had a tv with book shelves on either side. In the middle of the room was an examination table. 

“Lay down please.”

Moving over to the table nervously, he climbed up and laid down as instructed.  
Alphys quickly began strapping Papyrus down with restraints. 

“What’s with the restraints?”

“I apologize sir, but these are for my own safety… previous injections with determination have not gone well…” She fiddled with her claws nervously before adding, “You’re pretty confident… but you don’t even know the procedure.... You might want to ask your brother... You’re going to dust. I don’t care how confident you think you are...”

A small twinge of worry pinched his soul but he steeled himself from any unwanted emotions.

Alphys booted up the computer in the corner of the room and began punching in keys. Turning away from the monitor, she navigated around the room grabbing cords and wheeling equipment to different positions for either use or to move them out of the way. When she finished reorganizing the room, she stopped by Papyrus’ side.

“I’m going to need your soul.” 

Papyrus tensed and looked at her suspiciously. 

“Well?” She demanded impatiently. “Do you want to do this or not?”

A monster's soul was the very makeup of their being. If the lizard monster really wanted to, she could just crush it and that would be it… but he knew she wouldn’t and he came here with a purpose. Summoning his soul, he cringed as Alphys grasped it none too lightly before she walked away with it out of his view.  
Alphys carried the soul over to her equipment and picked up the prepared syringe with the red determination. Lining the needle up with the organ, she called out, “I’m inserting the DT now,” before jabbing it inside the inverted heart. 

All at once a wave of intense burning heat passed through Papyrus’ body and he jerked in his restraints with a barely contained scream. “AHHHH! FUCK!” Fuck fuck fuck! It burned! Oh gods! He felt like he’d been dipped in acid. His magic flared in response to his pain and fear but it just as quickly was smothered out by the waves of agony crashing over him. He could feel his health dropping at an alarming rate and his bones began to feel like they were liquefying. 

Alphys cringed but couldn’t turn her eyes away. To see the captain thrashing and screaming was alarming and intriguing. He always kept a tight lid on his emotions, even when fatally wounded. She had seen patients of all varying shapes, sizes and backgrounds fall victim to the experiment but none came close to the captain's level of power or control. Now she was seeing him at his weakest… and it was unsettling. It made her realize how truly powerful and frightening a human's determination was. 

Papyrus arched off the table and slammed back down, thrashing his head and trying to gather his thoughts. He was doing this for Sans! He had too! His brother was handling a heavy burden on his own and it was eating away at him! Now that he was aware, it was as clear as day and it pained him to see it! He felt like shit right now but he would overcome this trial as he had overcome every other trial that tried to intervene in his life! Sans was all he had in this miserable world and he hated seeing him deteriorating! THIS. IS. NOTHING. Gritting his teeth, he poured every ounce of his magic into holding his soul together. His breaths came in heaving gasps and he screamed in anger as his health continued to drop.

The scientist’s eyes grew wider and wider as she bore witness to the captain of the royal guard fighting off the effects of determination. This was impossible… there was no way! He was suppressing it! He appeared to be just on the verge of collapse but he was holding out far longer than her other patients and even now… he was actually… winning…? Or at least appeared to be. The parts of his body that would start to melt would re-solidify and then sag, only to be forced back together… without being exposed to any determination for all these years and then to suddenly have this much control over it was astounding… SHE HAD TO DOCUMENT THIS!  
Prying her eyes away from the table, she hurried over to her computer in the corner of the room and pulled down her keyboard to begin a log. 

Slowly but surely, Papyrus felt the burning sensations dulling and in its place was an uncomfortable sting but it was more bearable, save for the ringing in his skull and the sudden wooziness. Had he done it? Was it over? He tried sitting up but his limbs felt like jelly and he slumped back down. Staring up at the fluorescent white lights, the bright glare made his skull pound with aching throbs and he closed his eyes. Just for a minute… he would rest… just… for… a… minute….


	22. Chapter 22

Sans groaned as he slowly came to. His head felt all buzzed out and fuzzy and everything around him was passing in whirls of color. He tried clearing his mind of the hazy fog but consciousness evaded him. He distantly heard voices talking, and bits and pieces of a conversation were picked up.

 

“What… do… him?”

 

“Lure… captain…”

 

“Any word…?”

 

“None…”

 

Sans nodded back off.

…..

 A light buzzing noise was the first thing Sans became aware of as he came to again. He felt unpleasantly numb.

 

Lifting his head weakly, he glanced around but everything looked black and fuzzy, or wait… it was a blind fold. As more awareness came back, he shifted his body to find he was strapped to a metal chair. Testing the bindings, he confirmed them to be made of thick rubber fastened firmly around his wrists and ankles as well as through his ribcage. He was completely pinned. With this setup, it didn’t take a genius to figure there was some kind of magic restraint and sure enough, when he focused his attention on his soul, the unpleasant tension in his body was from the foreign object gripping his core. No magic and no use of his limbs… he was at the mercy of his abductors… 

 

Sans recollected on how he had gotten into his predicament and that was when it dawned on him! He was taken by the spider warrior! ‘What was his name again… Aludo? Whatever, doesn’t matter, I need to find some way to escape or at least get a better idea of my situation.’

Listening to the sounds around him, everything was quiet, even as he stirred awake, no movement could be heard which meant he was alone at the moment. This was the perfect time for him to get his bearings. He was blindfolded so he couldn’t see but he used his other senses to try and gauge his predicament. The straps didn’t look to have any kind of lock or release…. Then they were built into the chair. Oh wonderful… things could only get better! If he had a lock to pick, then he might have tried popping a couple fingers off to use as a lock pick… well that was out of the question… 

 

Guess all he could do was sit here with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company… 

First order of business, he needed to get an idea of why he was here and what the two warriors expected of him… they were questioning him before if he was as strong as Papyrus… was this all just some stupid ruse to get his brother to fight them? Or were they going to use him as a hostage against his brother for gain? ...His brother… Papyrus was still missing… did they know? If they didn’t then he was probably going to be here a while… what was Papyrus even doing and why couldn’t he find him…….. That was when it clicked… he checked everywhere but the labs! ‘What if boss never left!?’ He was such a FUCKING IDIOT! Why had he not considered that!? And Alphys had said he was trying to get determination for himself! ‘Oh no…’ He couldn’t be here! His baby bro needed him! Thrashing in the chair, he hollered out loudly, “OI! LET ME GO MAGGOTS!” His voice echoed off the walls and was met with the sound of a heavy door scraping across the floor as it was shoved open followed by heavy footsteps.

 

“Oh, you are awake! Perfect! We can get started then!”

  
Sans swung his head around in the direction of the voices and scowled. He immediately recognized the voice of Nadar.

 

“What do you want?” Sans asked sharply and to the point.

 

“What we want to know is where that brother of yours is.” Aluino spoke up from behind Sans and he straightened in alarm. He hadn’t even heard the monster move. It was no wonder he was snuck up on in his own home. 

 

“He is busy you dumb shits!” He kept an air of calm despite his erratically thumping soul. He was scared but to show fear would be a weakness the abductors would exploit.  

 

“Funny because from what I heard, he has be shirking his responsibilities onto Undyne and frolicking off to do who the fuck knows.” Nadar snorted with contempt.

 

“Papyrus is faithful to his position as Captain and always excels at performing his responsibilities! Who are you to say he is failing his job!?” 

 

“We are the King’s guards and have come to inspect Papyrus’ battle prowess and ensure the captain is still fit to lead the guard. But from what we have observed, he is nothing special. In fact, we believe he has gotten soft.” Aluino carried on speaking.

 

He couldn’t believe this! His brother takes a couple days to recuperate, because god forbid, he definitely earned it, only to already have the King on his ass!? He seethed in anger, all previous fear smothered out by his rage. 

 

“FUCK YOU! Papyrus works his ass off for the royal guard! He took two days to get some shit sorted out and your fucking complaining that he isn’t fit to lead?! Why don’t you contest with him in a fight and get your asses beaten to shit for daring to gripe about him, you stout nosed pig and bug eyed freak!” Sans huffed and glared against the blindfold. If only he was free so he could teach these two pieces of shit their place.

 

Sans head was violently snapped to the side as a powerful slap rang through his skull and caused blinding hot pain to seer down his spine. The hit was full of loathing force and left him disoriented and gritting his teeth together painfully to fight off the tension that filled his body. 

 

“That was a warning.” Aluino hissed at the side of his skull. “Try raising your voice at us again and you will be begging us to dust you.” He gulped dryly and went quiet. He wasn’t eager for another slap like that again. Testing his jaw, he rotated it slowly, wincing from the aching pain that settled in.

 

“Now that that is settled, we are bored waiting for Papyrus to show himself. Our “friend” is out looking for him as we speak, so we will be having some fun to keep ourselves entertained while we wait~” Nadar spoke up this time and stepped closer. 

 

He didn’t dare ask. He already had a pretty good idea. Torture wasn’t uncommon down here and this wouldn’t be his first time getting experimented on. Thankfully his 1 hp prevented most attempts at dismembering him since they’d rather keep their hostage alive for bargaining or they had nothing of worth to trade. They still had other methods, but none of which were all that excruciating. Unfortunately for them, they had no idea how truly solid he was despite the low health. Only Papyrus was well aware he could take a good beating. What he didn’t expect was for a heavy boot to be placed up against his crotch and grind against his clothed pelvis.

 

“W-what are you doing?” Curse that fucking stutter! When his fear slipped through his mask, he couldn’t control his cursed vocals from getting caught up in his throat.

 

“As he already said, we are having a little bit of fun~” Aluino whispered in the croak of Sans’ neck followed by a forked tongue running down the length of his cervical vertebrae.   
  
Sans yelped and shuddered in disgust. What. the. Hell! “No! Get OFF!” He jerked against his restraints, desperate to get free and immediately all contact ceased. He sighed out a breath of relief only to shrieked in surprise as a current of electricity shot through his body. The voltage was only a warning zap but it still left a lasting sting on his body. His attention was on high alert after that jolt and he sat straighter. That explained the metal chair and rubber straps. 

 

“Do we have your attention now?” Nadar growled out. “Put up any more of a resistance and we will be forced to take drastic measures.”

 

Sans gulped and nodded slowly. He was so fucked… literally and figuratively… 

 

………….

 

Papyrus groggily opened his eyes. Everything ached from head to toe and he felt like he was made of glass. Turning his head slowly, he found himself still strapped down but with additional monitors hooked up to his ribs and soul, sending out alerts and beeps every so often with codes of data. 

  
Alphys was hunched over her computer, fingers tapping the keys in quick succession with her head peeled up watching the screen as she typed wildy. She remained unaware of his consciousness until a few minutes later, she sighed and pushed away from the screen only to freeze when she met his red eye lights. 

 

“Y-you’re awake. Good… h-how do you feel?”

 

“I feel like shit, but I’ll live…” His voice was hoarse and dry. He hadn’t been screaming during the injection… had he?

 

“O-oh… I’ll go get you some water and we can continue our conversation after.”

 

He turned his head away to stare down at the bindings still strapped firmly across his body. Surely these weren’t needed anymore… he would speak with her after she returned. Laying back he sighed. So it worked… but what would that entail…? Shifting his body, he winced as pain shot through his spine in protest but he continued to feel around. He didn’t feel particularly different… he had succeeded, right?

 

Alphys returned a short time later and attempted to tip the cup for Papyrus but he glared at her in warning.

 

“I do not need assistance. Release me.”

 

“There might be some side effects we have not encountered Sir. For now, it is safe for you to remain restrained until we are certain you are well.”

 

“This is not up to debate Alphys, this is an order from your captain!” He tone had a ring of finality to it as he spoke and the scientist fumbled nervously for the straps before pausing. Her claws twitched and a silence fell over the room before she slowly stepped back with a wild look in her eyes.

 

“No.” She stated flatly.

 

“Excuse me?” Papyrus’s tone darkened. 

 

Alphys stiffened but held her ground and met his stare. “This needs further testing. Just think of all the possibilities! This could be for the betterment of the whole underground! We might even be able to finally escape this hell hole and reach the surface! Monsters successfully infused with determination to fight on the battlefield! This is revolutionary!!!” 

 

“ _ Alphys. . .  _ “ As her name passed by Papyrus’ teeth, the scales on Alphys’ back prickled and pinched her skin in apprehension as a chill settled over the room. The lights flickered in protest as all energy condensed around Papyrus, darkening the room while his red eyes glinted, piercing the dimming light. His expression was as cold as ice as he bore into Alphys, demanding subjugation. She could feel the murderous intent radiating off of him.

 

Her body froze in terror and her gaze was locked with Papyrus’. 

 

“ _ Release me. . .”  _ She moved forward like a marionette on strings, pulled by the force of Papyrus’ words. With an eerie calmness, her hands worked on the straps against her will.

 

As the last restraint was released, the heavy weight in the room subsided. Standing up, he tapped Alphys on the shoulder as he passed in a silent show of thanks before exiting the room. 

 

She flinched out of reflex and just stood stock still trying to grasp what had happened. As the click of the elevator doors closed, she sagged to the floor shivering. 

  
......She had created a demon......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, things are only going to get more interesting~


	23. WARNINGS APPLY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS APPLY: Lil Skele gets raped. Only this chapter and the proceeding chapter will have rape. For any who are bothered/or triggered by rape, please be patient. I am trying to make sure these following scenes do not conflict with the main story and can be skipped without confusion. This chapter and the following will have warnings in the title.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been getting a lot of questions from people asking if the story was being dropped, but to ease all your fears and confirm everyone’s questions in one go, no. The story is not discontinued. I have a lot more planned for the story but at the moment, I am being over flooded with a lot to do. These last few months have been a rollercoaster, but every chance I got, I sat down to work more on the next chapter. In order to quench some of yalls thirst for more, I’ll cut this current chapter In half and get around to finishing the last bit in due time. Every time I try to conclude it, I just get stuck and it is extremely aggravating because I just want to move on but I can’t figure out how. I hope yall will continue to be patient. You have been super amazing and supportive so far and I greatly appreciate it.

Aluino removed the blindfold, making Sans’ wince as light immediately filled his skull. “There that should be better.” Pressing in close, he slid his hands down Sans’ shoulders to his chest, tracing the curve of his ribs through his shirt while he breathed softly along the back of Sans’ neck. 

“So fascinating…” Aluino hummed out. “You can just reach right in~” He pressed in on the ribs, bunching up the shirt through the gaps and rubbed the inner ribcage. “It makes me curious… where does a skeleton’s soul go without a body to hide it? Does it just sit in the open within the ribcage?”  Two more of his hands trailed down to Sans’ waist and gripped the bottom of his shirt before slowly lifting it while another pair traced his iliac crests. 

 

Sans breath hitched and he scrunched up his eyes with his head turned off to the side. He felt disgusted by the touches and his  haphephobia was screaming for him to be released and washed clean. ‘Oh god… where is Papyrus…’ 

 

Nadar pulled over a chair and sat down to watch with a grin plastered across his face, drawing the attention of the spider warrior who looked up to meet his stare.

 

“Liking the show so far?” Aluino asked smugly.

 

“Indubitably, but I feel like it’s progressing a bit slow…”

 

“Then I’ll just have to up my game.” Holding the skeleton still, Aluino cut down the middle of the shirt with his sharp point finger, pulling it open for a better view. 

 

Looking down through Sans’ ribcage from above, Aluino clicked his tongue to see the soft glow of the inverted heart floating inside. “With your soul on display like that, it makes one curious as to how your kind have survived this long… or perhaps you haven’t… I mean there are only two of you after all~”

 

Sans stiffened in his seat. All this scrutinizing was making him light headed and nauseous, especially having his soul being looked at with such hungry eyes… it was disgusting.

“This might be our last chance to study the skeletal makeup before the underground is free of your kind. Besides, this information will be useful for when we find Papyrus.”

 

“Like what?” Sans needed to get his mind off of the touching, so what better way than to keep the other talking.

 

“Hm… such as where the soul is located, what parts of the body are more fragile or sensitive… what bones inflict the most amount of pain…. You are our perfect little test subject.”

  
Sans spat at the warriors face and sat back with indignation. “Fuck you!”

 

Aluino lifted one of his six arms to scrap off the spit before clenching up his fist and slamming it down against San’s pelvis, grinding into it sharply. 

 

The blow cracked the bone and Sans yelped in surprise followed by shooting pain traveling up his spine through his pelvis. He clenched up his teeth to bite back the whimper before snarling in anger at the other. 

 

“Don’t try to act tough, you’re hardly a threat.” Softening his grinding, he stroked the abused bone softly and feathered his other hands along Sans’ spine earning a shudder from his captive. “If you behave, perhaps we can be easier on you... We can make your suffering short and more pleasureable~”

 

“You’re just a bunch of horny fuckers! Why would I ever want your filthy touch!?”  

 

The spider warrior stopped all his actions only to slap a hand over Sans’ teeth and yanked his skull up to stare him in the eyes. “Running your mouth off like that is only going to make things so. much. worse!” Shoving Sans back into his seat he turned to Nadar.

“I am done playing nice. Nadar! We are going to have to teach this cocky shit how to behave!” 

 

“About damn time!” Getting off his chair, he strode over to the skeleton and towered over him while he looked him over. “I am going to have fun breaking you~” 

 

“Heh, I am going to enjoy watching my brother dust your sor… Ahmf…” Sans gagged in surprise as a mouthpiece was clamped over his teeth from behind. Turning his head to see over his shoulder, he watched as Aluino tightened the clamp and tied it back. He tried thrashing his head to get the damn thing off, but Nadar’s massive hand easily cupped the size of his skull and held him still.

 

“That should shut him up! God he is fucking annoying…” Ensuring it was nice and tight, Aluino stepped back around into view and looked at his handiwork. “Not bad. This should prevent him from trying anything with those teeth.”

 

The mouthpiece forced Sans’ teeth apart holding his jaw open painfully. He could feel tears beginning to form on the sides of his sockets from the unpleasant stretch. 

 

“How does that feel? I hope your comfortable because you're about to service me maggot and I wonder just how much you can take… Hopefully I don’t break you too quickly.” Nadar nudged his clothed hard on against Sans’ skull watching with mirth as the skeleton cringed away. 

 

Unzipping the front of his pants, the cock sprang free already swollen and dripping with need. The sick fuck was getting off to this! Giving it a stroke, Nadar grunted in pleasure. “Ahh yes, my cock is throbbing and eager to pound into your skull.”

 

Sans’ eyelights wavered taking in the size of the warthog’s girth and tensed in apprehension. Holy fuck… there was no way that was going to fit… The cock was nudged against his cheek, and he stared up at the monster in defiance. 

 

“Look who’s trying to play it tough. Hahaha, just relax and you might enjoy this~ Or continue to be difficult and make this all the move enjoyable for me. Hehe.” Nadar pressed in closer, making his member slid up Sans’ face, getting uncomfortably close to his eye socket. His breathing picked up in dread as it nudged the rim, dribbling cum oozing down to trickle into the opening and he jerked back with a hiss as the magic that made up his socket fizzled to the foreign sustenance. It wasn’t to say it hurt, but the sensation was gross and unwelcoming.

 

Meeting the warthog’s gaze, his expression must have said everything the monster needed to know before he sneered and mock petted his skull in false comfort. “Easy pet. I won’t stick it in your socket. But if you misbehave I might have to take back my word…” Sans stared back hearing the empty promise and lingering threat behind the statement. He was powerless to stop them and by being defiant, he was only making the game for the pair that much more exciting. He had a sinking suspicion they were hoping for his disobedience to have an excuse to play more rough. A part of him feared his captives would disregard his 1 hp and dust him early before his brother came for him… or that is, if he came for him… Honestly, it was just far easier to give up anyways… dropping his eyes in resignation, he went lax in his bindings earning a grunt from Nadar.

 

“Was that all the fight in you? Well that is disappointing... “

 

“No matter. We’ll have more fun once Papyrus has been found, or if he finds us. His brother here really is a big disappointment… such a shame for the great captain to have to regard this sack of shit as family.”

 

“I couldn’t agree more.” Lifting Sans skull, the warthog angled his cock with the opening in the ring bit before pressing forward, easing his engorged shaft into the opening in Sans’ teeth. The small skeleton relaxed his jaw further, hoping it would ease the pain of the stretch even just a little and it did provide some relief, but as more of the cock was pushed in, the harder it became to fight back the gag reflex. His magic had yet to materialize as he was not the least bit aroused. Quite the contrary, he was so disgusted, he doubted he could get worked up, regardless if they touched his most sensitive bones. He couldn’t imagine how good his dry, bony skull must feel around the warthog’s dick and the monster must have agreed because he grabbed either side of Sans’ skull and started thrusting in and out, looking for some purchase of friction for pleasure. All he received was an uncomfortable slap of flesh on bone with some precum lubbing up the entrance to prevent a rash.

 

“Fuck this is so boring… how do skeletons even engage in sex?” He could hear the whine just on the tip of Nadar’s tone and Aluino huffed. 

 

“You are so impatient… his magic forms the necessary parts and from my understanding, they can take on any sexual organ they desire.”

 

“Hey shithead! Form a tongue or something before I lose my patience!” He demanded with another sharp thrust. 

 

Sans choked out a groan of anger and looked at Aluino to explain to this pighead what requirements he was missing in order to fulfill the “request”. He could tell the spider warrior was well educated and had done his homework. With at least one of his captives having enough sense to understand his genetic makeup, he could feel some relief to a near harrowing experience of being taken by two monsters completely lacking in knowledge. 

 

Aluino thankfully understood the look before stepping closer and kneeling down to trace his hands over the curves of Sans’ bones, while watching his expression for particularly sensitive areas of contact. Having some form of easing stimulation aside from the painful stretch of his jaw was a mute relief to his new found panic of being touched all over. He meant for the spider to explain rather than get handsy and realized his mistake to late. He wheezed around the cock and shook violently in his bonds earning a startled look from both monsters who exchanged a silent look.

 

“This is clearly not working… pull out of him Nadar and give me a moment. I’ll be right back…”

Nadar did as he was told with some resentment. Whether it was at Sans or Aluino, Sans’ couldn’t tell, or perhaps it was a bit of both… but to have his mouth free again of the intrusion was a small respite for the time being.

 

The minutes dragged on far longer amidst the silence of the room with Nadar still sporting a hard on and looking Sans over in a mix of disgust and lust. The monster was clearly turned on by the prospect of claiming him but was far to stupid to figure out how. He really wished his jaw was free to shoot insults the warthogs way but for now he would take enjoyment thinking the thoughts to himself.

 

After some time, Aluino returned carrying a vial in hand and some other instrument blocked from view by a cloth. Nadar was back on his feet in relief to see his companion and looked over the contents his partner was carrying in interest while Sans’ stared on warily.

 

“We aren’t going to be getting anywhere at this rate… so I brought some help.” The spider tapped the vial and held it up for Sans to see. “This is a little aphrodisiac I made myself~ beautiful isn’t it…” The liquid was a pale blue that sloshed inside the glass container as Aluino waved it around. As the words aphrodisiac were spoken, Sans’ paled in realization and hissed in refusal. Fuck fuck FUCK! Hell no! He was not about to let them drug him! Even less so be openly engaged in his own rape! Aluino stepped back clicking his tongue and nodded for Nadar to hold the small skeleton still as a syringe was pulled out of the cloth and carried over to a table. Popping the cap off the vial, he poured the contents into the end of the syringe before turning back with a wide devilish grin.

 

“Stop fretting, this’ll just made you feel amazing.  A far better treatment than being fucked raw don’t you think? Don’t fight me on this…” Coming to stand in front of Sans with Nadar holding his skull and pressing in on his chest from the back, the small skeleton could only watch in horror as the spider’s hands reached inside his chest cavity, taking hold of his delicate soul and pulling it out into the open. His breathing accelerated in panic as the needle pressed in on the inverted heart before breaching the surface. The sting was dulled as all thought processes were on overdrive, driven to a near mad hysterical state. Slowly, the top of the syringe was pushed down, emptying the contents making his soul glow a mix of purplish red before it was accepted into his being, mixing with his magic and returning to its natural red glow. 

 

“There, see? You are perfectly fine… you’ll start to feel real good…” It wasn’t even a few seconds before a tight heat build up within Sans’ core, making him break out in sweat all over his body. His souls glow slowly intensified in brightness as it was brought to a near heat like state and he twitched as hands were ghosted over his bones, not quite touching but still lighting up a fire of need. His senses of despising physical contact were overwritten with a delirious desire for more and his overflowing magic flushed through his body filling his frame with a buzzing warmth. Aluino gently swiped a hand along the skeleton’s brow before grabbing his skull and turning it from side to side to inspect the drugs effects. Sans nuzzled the hand gently making Nadar chuckle.  “That’s a powerful drug… and you said you made this?” 

 

Aluino looked on proud and pressed in closer to grab one of Sans’ ribs, stroking it softly, earning a small gasp at the contact and a pleased hum from the warrior.

“The poison of my kind causes a strong paralysis but with some tinkering, refining and adding some additional ingredients, I was able to make it an intoxicant. A small dosage is highly effective and can last a good few hours. I added quite a bit so you should be in for a ride~” Trailing his hands lower, he grazed his fingers over Sans’ clothes pelvis, making the smaller monster squirm and whine.

 

“You can try entering him again. He should be worked up enough for his magic to solidify into the desired parts.”

 

The warthog wasted no time in grabbing Sans’ skull and slamming his cock back inside. The motion rang loudly through Sans’ skull, making him wince through the painful action.

 

“Not that forceful!” Aluino hissed annoyed. “Have some restraint! He only has one hp and we need him for when his brother arrives!” 

 

Nadar ignored Aluino’s comment and groaned as Sans’ magic responded to the scent of his sex by forming a glowing red appendage to cushion the intruding member instinctively. “Ahhh fuck… this feels much better…” Sans rocked with each thrust, unable to move or speak through his mouth full of cock.

 

Tsking annoyed, Aluino turned his own attentions to working his hands down into Sans’ shorts, brushing his fingers feather light over the pelvis. Sans hips rolled up seeking more purchase of the touch, desiring to be relieved of his building tension. 

 

Aluino chuckled and obliged, applying more pressure while looping his fingers through Sans’ pubis, stroking it roughly. Sans groaned sending vibrations through Nadar’s cock and making the warthog grunt in satisfaction. “Whatever you are doing, don’t stop~”

 

Pinching and kneading over the sensitive bone, Sans shivered and gasped as his magic solidify into a stout ruby red cock. Aluino withdrew his hands before standing and walking away leaving Sans’ twitching and whining in need. His attention on his loss of contact was short lived as the warthog speed up his thrusts, member twitching and swelling in size, alerting Sans to the owner’s nearing release. The fog that settled over his consciousness from the drug withdrew as he became aware of the knot threatening to spill down his throat. Sans  growled out around the cock trying to formulate words to get the other to pull out or stop but they came out garbled and broken. His sexual assailant paid no mind as he redoubled his efforts to get himself off, moving fast and relentless  making Sans’ jaw ache. With one last hard slam all the way up to the hilt, he sank deep into the back of Sans’ throat and stilled as his hot seed ejected out.

The skeleton gagged as his skull was filled, and his throat was clogged. Cum seeped down his cervical vertebrae, clinging to his ribs and dripping onto his burning soul. He jolted in surprise, feeling a tingling sensation along the surface of his inverted heart before the cum was soaked inside. Sans jerked violently at the pleasurable sensation. It felt gross, but oh fuck… so good….

Once the warthog was emptied, the large shaft now noticeably smaller in size, was pulled free, much to Sans’ relief. He would feel even better if the damn mouthpiece was taken out. Instead he was left with a sore jaw and an itchy burn in his soul. 

 

Instead of shooting insults or moving to violate him again, Nadar stood off to the side, waiting for his companion to return. Sans took the moment to himself to get his bearings and analyze the room. The room was nothing special. It was rather simple with hardly any furniture aside from a few chairs but as he looked over his shoulder he balked in horror to see a shelf full of jars containing dust! Forcing his head to turn more, he was able to make out another wall just out of view of tools. While it was hard to make out in his peripheral, he could see the glimmer of sharp metal.

 

The skeletons bones began to rattle as his fear and anxiety took hold. Nadar cast a glance over at him before looking over his head at the shelving on the back wall and smirked.

  
“Don’t worry. Your dust won't be joining theirs. We only save the dust of monsters who are worth keeping.” Sans soul tightened at the comment and he felt nausea rising. What sick freaks kept dust as a prize!?


	24. WARNINGS APPLY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of previous chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so that everyone is aware as to why it is taking Papyrus so long to arrive is because the two events of Papyrus getting determination and Sans' getting "experimented" on are happening simultaneously, but at the end of this chapter is where the two times meet.

 The following silence hung thickly in the air. The longer the spider took, the more apprehensive Sans became. What were they doing? How much longer were they going to take? Would they dust him and leave his remains for his boss to find, or would they torture him and leave his life hanging by a thread? 

A loud slam of the door startled both occupants, though for Sans his was underlined with strained tension. 

 

“Had your fun?” 

  
“Yea. What do ya got there?” 

 

“Oh this~” Aluino held up a long metal rod with a grin. Sans adjusted in his seat to watch the exchange and looked the rod over confused. “It’s for a bit of fun.” Turning his attention to their captive, he stepped forward and brushed a hand along their cheek. “Look how much you are sweating… you must really be terrified.” Kneeling down to Sans’ eye level, another hand brushed up along the skeleton’s still erect member, though his arousal had diminished some from the duration Aluino had been absent. Immediately upon contact, Sans’  went rigid as the fire in his soul was reignited and he groaned as the skilled hands worked his shaft back up to full arousal.

 

“There does that feel better.” The mocking tone asked. “Don’t worry, I have something special planned for you.” Thumbing over the slit in the cock, he toyed with it teasingly while his grin pulled up into a sneer at the skeleton’s contorted expression caught between fear and pleasure. “I just can’t wait to see you wreathing in pained pleasure~” The spiders words were all the warning he got before the metal rod was pressed down into the slit. Sans’ straightened in his seat with a choked gasp as it was pressed inside his  urethra. Whatever drug was still raging in his soul made the penetration feel extremely sensitive, blocking out whatever pain he feared he’d be in otherwise.   


It was uncomfortably tight as the rod was pressed in further but the spider was careful and took his time feeding it through. Sans was unable to turn his eyes away, scared they would tear his magic. In wasn’t until the sounding rod was all the way seated that the warrior stopped forcing it in. Sans took a shaky breath. His soul was hammering in his chest, distressed by his position. He was completely at their mercy and that was what terrified him the most. He knew what they had planned… it was only a matter of time before they grew bored with their “play” and got serious. 

 

Standing back up, Aluino dusted off his pants and looked down at the skeleton with contempt. 

“You claimed the first hole, I think it only fitting I take his ass.”

 

Nadar grunted in reply and stepped back to lean his weight against the wall.

“Hm… his current position doesn’t leave much room for adjusting…” Moving behind Sans, he shifted through the objects hanging on the wall, making them clink or bang together. Each sound make the small skeleton flinch, his imagination running wild. 

 

“Aha~ here we go.” Stepping up behind the chair, the straps were carefully removed, each arm working efficiently to undo the clasps. Two of his six arms slipped Sans’ arms free but quickly held his wrists together tightly as a leather arm binder was fitted up his arms and then tightened. Once it was fastened, Sans was lifted off the chair and the spider warrior slipped beneath him to sit the skeleton on his lap.

 

“There we go, much better.” Bringing his hands down to rest in Sans’ lap, he stroked the femurs and leaned forward to brush his fangs along the spinal column. Sans went rigid at the uncomfortable touches. If a monster could have a heart attack, he was certain he’d be a wreathing mess. His full focus was on each unwelcomed caress and the knowledge of knowing even after he was raped and brutally torn apart, these memories weren’t going to die with him and that brought out a choked sob. It was hell living a day in and a day out always knowing about the resets and never being able to be relieved of all the knowledge accompanying the humans whimsical actions. He was going to remember for the rest of his life this moment. He hoped he was dusted sooner rather than later. If Boss showed up… if he saw what they were doing to him… his brothers expression would be burned into his memory… or even worse, if Papyrus was dragged down with him into this mess… he’d be a wreck… he wasn’t even entirely sure how to process this all at once. 

 

Through his cycling of sporadic thoughts, he didn’t realize he’d completely spaced through the spiders next actions until he felt a painful jab in his magic and he was forced back into focus to feel a sharp, angled hook fed itself through his ass. The spider was holding Sans middle tightly as he held the skeleton in place. His expression was focused and determined as he inched inside the tight heat. Sans’ magic tried pushing out the intruding appendage but by tightening his magic muscles, the sharp point only pricked his insides and he squirmed in alarm, further scraping up the magic and making tears pool in his sockets. Aluino hissed in frustration and bit down on the back of Sans’ neck. Only a small dose of neutralizing poison was fed through but it was enough to make his body go lax against his will. Withdrawing his fangs, he looked at the skeleton in disapproval.

 

“This would go a lot smoother if you’d stop struggling! It only hurts if you tense up or try to move.” 

Sans groaned in reply, but all else was cut off with a deep intake of air when the spider rolled his hips up and the hook was pushed in to fully sit inside. Sans’ thoughts were becoming muddled and disarrayed. From the touching, to the unwanted sensations and the aberrant torture that was sure to escalate later, he was being driven to new levels of madness. 

 

“Ahh yea… so nice…” Aluino withdrew his hips a bit before jerking back up. “And tight~”

  
“Gah!” He would have cringed or even tried thrashing again if not for the poison filling his bones and dulling his magic to force him into a relaxed state. 

The spider set a rhythm of thrusting up and easing back out. The burn of the pricking hook eased some the longer the warrior worked up his magic and he felt a small warming sensation filling his body as healing magic sealed over the scraped walls lining his ass. Sans was caught off guard when Aluino reached around to his front and grabbed the top of the sounding rod and began sliding it up. His hips bucked up at the sensation of having his  urethra practically massaged by the rod. He felt a huff of hot air along the back of his neck from the spider watching in amusement.

 

“You like that huh?” The rod was slipped out to just the tip before it was shoved back down, making Sans keen in pleasure. His head rolled back to rest against the spider’s shoulder and he choked out a grunt as the clasp on his jaw lock was jostled, drawing his attention back to his aching jaw. Aluino seemed to realize he’d forgotten to remove it and looked over at Nadar.

 

“RIght…” The warthog got the memo, not even needing to be told as he stepped closer, but then a thought dawned on him and he stopped just as he’d reached their side. 

“And what do I get out of this?” He asked derisively.

 

 The spider glared up at him, watching his companions smug expression before conceding. “FIne. Step closer and I’ll get you off, but first remove the damn clamp.”

 

“Gladly!” Not even caring to be gentle, he rip the clamp off, forcing Sans’ jaw to pop from the force. The resulting pain was a minute point to having his mouth finally free, and he quickly closed his teeth, working his jaw a bit to ease the throbbing.

 

Aluino looked on unimpressed but not hearing a complaint from the skeleton, he let it slide as he reached out a free hand to slip down inside the warthogs pants to curl around their shaft. With the hand preoccupied with stroking them off, he turned back to Sans and lightly nibbled down on their clavicle. Sans tensed at the feeling of the fangs lightly grazing his bone before he gasped as the sounding rod was resumed being thrusted up and down his shaft. His hips rolled up against his better judgement, reacting to the foreplay and sensitivity. 

 

With his full attention on servicing the two monsters, Aluino had fallen still, solely focused on making his two partners wreath in pleasure. As the engorged cock in his hand swelled, he stroked it faster, in effect making his other hand jerk the rod in and out more quickly. Sans cried out, feeling a burn rising that was definitely not pleasant. He wasn’t wet enough for the rods passage to be eased. 

 

Aluino slowed both hands, making Nadar groan in frustration at being denied his release while Sans relaxed back in relief. 

  
“Why’d you stop!?” He growled out. 

 

“Patience or you’re not getting anything.” Grabbing the base of Sans’ cock, Aluino stroked it gently, bringing back the more pleasurable sensations while he grabbed the top of the rod and pulled it out. 

  
Sans slumped back panting, both relieved and disappointed the rod was removed. Throwing the metal rod aside, he curled his fingers around the shaft, kneading it up and down before rising to the tip and pressing in with his pointer finger. “This should fit a lot nicer…” The narrow finger slipped in easily with the shaft already lubricated and Sans hips raised, taking in more of the finger with a moan. Fuck…. Fuck. He shouldn’t be responding but he was losing the fight over his will. Swirling his finger teasingly, he started pumping in and out again, adding a light scrap with each pull. 

  
Nadar watched on hungrily, getting more aroused with the display. “Damn that looks hot. I might need a taste of that next.”

 

Aluino grinned, pleased with himself. “After. For now… we should work on the finale to get to the real objective.” 

 

Reaching back over to Nadar’s manhood, he proceeded to jerk him off, now having better control of both hands while he worked up a faster pace of bucking up into Sans’ tight heat. He growled out obscenities as he neared his peak, feeling both “partners” drawing close as well due to his work. His licked his teeth pleased, humming lightly as he licked the back of Sans’ neck. Sans shuddered and clenched up as his orgasm ripped through him but the finger filling his urethra blocked the passage, making it knot up around the finger with no escape. 

“Hng… ahhhh…. L-let it out….” Sans whined weakly, feeling his body growing dull as exhaustion quickly set in. Aluino snickered and nibbled Sans’ scapula.

 

“Only if you ask nicely~”

 

If he had any energy left, he would have argued but a weak please tumbled out making the spider click his tongue in consideration.

 

“Not good enough. Try again.”

 

His expression hardened slightly in frustration before he huffed out, “Please. Take. it. Out.” He emphasized each word, holding back the barest of spite. 

 

Deeming the response acceptable enough, he retracted his finger slowly, purposefully, teasing the hole by withdrawing and then pushing back in, then retracting some more. Sans groaned at the sensation and pulled his hips back as far as they could go to sped up the process, before finally finding some release as the finger popped out, allowing his cum to seep out freely. He shivered and slumped back tiredly, feeling lulled on by the rocking of the spider as the warrior continued to get off his partner. It wasn’t long before Nadar moaned his release, stirring Sans’ from his slumber in disgust as the boar’s ejaculation rained down on him. He would have complained under different circumstances, instead he just choose to ignore it.

 

Clearly Aluino wasn’t pleased before Sans was lifted up quickly and dropped back down into the chair unceremoniously.

 

“Really!? You got some on me as well!” 

  
Sans listened in on their bickering with only half a mind while the other half slipped in and out of consciousness. The chatter died down to a low rumble in his skull before all grew quiet as he passed out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now this scene is finally over. Now on to the real point. :P
> 
> You can thank Silvertris for the sounding rod idea. :P  
> She is more skilled in the art of torture and toys. I fall short in that department. XD


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting to the real good plot!

 As soon as the doors closed to the elevator, Papyrus slumped ever so slightly against the railing to hold himself steady. He felt like he was back to being an infant with noodly arms that didn’t quite work right until they were worked in. Whatever this damn DETERMINATION was, it made him feel both as solid and brittle as a diamond.

 

Once the elevator doors opened, he straightened back up and took a step forward, only to fumble his step and nearly trip over. After a few wobbly steps out, he caught himself on a desk and held onto it firmly with a growl of frustration. How the hell was he going to be any help clumsying about like a babybones! He needed to work off this faze and fast, otherwise once he was outside these walls, he was going to become free exp to any lucky monster that caught him in this funk.

 

 Pushing away from the desk, he wobbled a bit before straightening and rotating his joints. Holding out one hand, he focused his magic to form a bone sword only for a tight heat to flare up in his soul. He cut off his magic in surprise and tensed, ready for the pain…. But… it never came. The heat persisted but it didn’t burn, though it was a bit uncomfortable. Trying again but expecting the sudden flare, he conjured a bone construct. He immediately realized the sword was far denser and heavier than any bone weapon he’d summoned before. Holding it closer to eye level, he inspected the surface. It faintly pulsed with the aura of his magic, but aside from that, there wasn’t anything spectacularly different, it just felt different. Storing that information for later, he practiced swiping around in the air, adjusting his stance to hold him upright. He couldn’t stay long, he had just skipped out on Sans and needed to get back to him, plus he wasn’t entirely sure Alphys wouldn’t get over whatever transfiction she was in and come chasing after him.

 

 Once he felt he was at least stable enough to carry himself, he exited out the front lab doors, taking a second to inhale a deep breath of air. His head was still buzzing with all the new information he’d learned… and he didn’t like it… at least now he had DETERMINATION on his side, an element he was sure would prove useful in the near future.

 

 During the whole procedure, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his brother needed him. It was what helped him pull through the surgery and now that he was out, he was heading straight home to fill his brother in as well as demand some answers. He was tired of all the lies!

 

 Following the path down to the lake, he wasn’t surprised to find the River Person already waiting for his arrival. Stepping down into the boat, he took a seat, not even needing to vocalize where he was going. It was strange and unnerving how the River Person always seemed to already know where each monster was heading.

 

 Not once had he ever heard the River Person speak. The only sounds that were ever heard were the light trickles of water passing by as the boat practically floated along the surface of the water, causing hardly any sways as it moved. But not this time… an eerie voice, just barely over a whisper, but still as clear as a bell, spoke over the usually deafening silence.

_You do not know of which you seek…._

 

 Papyrus stiffened in his seat, holding perfectly still and unconsciously held his breath as the River Person trailed off like he was ending a thought. The silence persisted back over the pair for a length of time, only for a chill to run down Papyrus’ spine as the River Person continued, seemingly echoing off of the cavern walls, making it sound as if the voice was coming from all sides.

 

_Beware the judge who cannot speak_

_Who remains awake in an eternal sleep._

_His eyes that bore into the past, who sees beyond and what is and was last_

_And when the time comes for the final kill_

_He will be tormented by a breath that is still_

 

 As the words dropped off, the walls repeated it back like a mantra, growing quieter and quieter, until falling back into the heavy silence. He would have turned his head to catch a glimpse at the River Person and question their riddle, but he was frozen in place, skull pounding with the foreboding words. The trip between Hotland and Snowdin never felt more ominous and long, nor was he more relieved when the boat pulled up along the shore. Hastily climbing out, he glared back at the cloaked figure. They appeared as they always did. Cloak drawn, head down, standing still like a statue. Clicking his jaw shut, he turned on his heels to retreat back to his home only for the chilling voice to trail after him

 

_Farewell…_

 

 Papyrus stopped short and turned back to regard them but they were already gone. Not a single sound had been heard of their departure… He stared down at the dock for a solid minute, trying to come to grips with what he heard. Righting his posture, he put his back to the river, and strode off, heading home.

 

…….

 Sans groaned, having been jostled awake by rough hands shifting his body around. Rolling his head to the side, he cracked his sockets open, flinching from the bright light boring down on him from above.

 

“What…” He croaked out. His voice felt hoarse, like he hadn’t drank any water for a long time, but that was ridiculous, skeletons didn’t have vocal chords that could shrivel up. Their voice was solely based on their magic… His magic! He must be running low! Sans attempted to sit up only to find he couldn’t move. Brow furrowing, he jerked his arms and legs, finding they were strapped firmly down onto whatever surface he was currently laying on.

 

 Warning bells rang loudly through his head, making him feel queasy with unease and panic. Where… his thoughts were quickly answered as his memories came rushing back to him.

“Ugh… fuck…” His head pounded with a growing headache but he couldn’t just lay passively by, he had to get back to Boss and warn him of these fuckers!

 

“Ah, so you are finally awake.” The spider's voice broke through his thoughts and he snapped his eyes open to glare at the speaker, only to wince at the sharp reminder of the blinding light overhead. Snapping his eyes closed, he let out another groan. “It’s disarming how quiet and still you lay when asleep… one might pass you off as the living dead.”

 

“I wouldn’t call that sleep…” He retorted. Sleep was like reliving a nightmare over and over again. For him to have been unconscious without even a distant memory lingering was likely due to him having likely slipped into a slight coma, probably from all the stress and vehemous of the situation, his subconscious was blocking out the world. But even that defiance would only last so long. Now he was back to full awareness and still just as pissed, if not more so than before.

 

“Oh?” Aluino hummed in interest. There was so much more that could be learned of the skeletal breed and he was eager to learn~ “While our earlier engagement was fascinating and pleasurable, now I think it is time we move on to the real objective. I am going to be executing a series of tests and I want you to respond with either a 1 or 10 for how much pain you are in. If you fail to respond immediately, then a shock with be initiated directly to your soul.”

 Sans stilled… directly to his… that was when he became painfully aware of how cold and barren his chest cavity felt. His soul was missing! How had he not immediately realized!? He could feel it pulsing nearby, wanting to be returned back to it’s host but it was being restraint.  There was also something else… something unwanted buried inside the fragile heart… he wanted to try and look but as he squinted open his eyes, all he could see was a blurred figure of Aluino blocking his vision.

“Am I clear?” He demanded impatiently, when no response immediately came. Sans was still trying to come to terms with his new position and missing soul that the question remained unanswered. Aluino growled lowly and held up a small device. Turning a notch, a short high volt was transferred to his soul making Sans shrieked and writhe on the examination table.

 

“Did that get your attention now?” Aluino asked with a tsk of annoyance.

 

 Once the burning sensation passed, Sans gasped and nodded his head quickly, not wanting another dose of the device.

 

“Good, now how much pain were you in?” The spider asked, swapping out the device for a clipboard.

 

“Uh, I dunno… maybe 3?” The first jolt wasn’t nearly as painful as he made it out to be. It was more of the suddenness that had him reacting so animatedly.

 

 Writing down the response, the spider pulled out a small, lightweight hammer and knocked it down against Sans sternum. “How does that feel?”

 

“Uh… .00001?” Sans couldn’t help grinning. Was this spider serious? The smile was wiped from his face as the hammer was brought down more forcefully on his clavicle. The bone strained, even under the lightweight of the hammer.

 

“Now?”

 

“Since when are you a scientist?” Sans asked breathlessly. The spider glared and another jolt was administered to his soul. Sans jerked in the bindings but this time withheld his voice by grinding his teeth together.

 

“Do not make me keep repeating myself.”

  
“Heh, ouch… okay… I’d say a 4.” Seeing the spider losing his cool was worth the pain.

 

 Aluino continued trying the hammer on various different bones and Sans began answering on a dime, if only to speed up the process and get to the fucking point. Once all his tests were recorded, he set the hammer aside and looked over his notes. After viewing the human textbooks, he compared the two results with the information presented in the book finding that the skeletal body of a monster compared to a human’s skeleton was far more sensitive. Not surprising considering their body was composed of magic, but what was even more fascinating was that the monsters spine and pelvis were even more sensitive that a human’s. The lack of a body had to coop in those aspects to get the monsters aroused, so it’s not to say it was surprising, but it still quenched his thirst for knowledge. The rest of the body responded roughly the same as a human’s, but the results would be inconclusive without a real test subject to experiment on.

 Sighing, he put the notepad aside and picked up a small saw. Sans whole body went rigid as he stared at the sharp teeth of the object.

 

“I’ll dust if you use that… w-wouldn’t you want to wait until Boss got here and instead ran a few more tests?” Sans tried curbing the spiders interest in his favor, but the uninterested look turned his way made him fall silent. The spider could careless. They were more interested in finding his weaknesses to use as a reference against Boss… Setting the sharp, jagged edge of the blade against his sternum, he grazed it lightly over the bone, watching in mirth as Sans struggled to calm his shaking.

  
“Killing is all about intent…” Those were the only words of warning he had before the blade was dipping down into the slash already apparent on his sternum. Shit! Fuck! He forgot about the scar ever present on his chest. That had honestly been the last concern on his mind, but now that he was being sawed into along the lines of the scar, he was being painfully reminded that it was there, caused by the countless deaths and resets of the child. The warrior must have noticed it long before things really escalated and had wondered how such a deep harrowing wound could persist on a 1HP monster. The scar alone was evidence enough that he was more hardy than he appeared, but that was a scar caused over countless resets! Surely being sawed into would dust him, even without intent!

 

 Each grind of the blade drove deeper into his sternum and brought pinpricks of tears to his sockets. He kept his teeth locked painfully tight together, only letting out small grunts with each pass of the teeth along the sensitive bone. He could feel marrow and red DETERMINATION bubbling up to the surface before spilling over and dripping down past his ribs making the spider pause in wonder at the red substance. He eased the pressure of the blade, if only for a second to take a small sample of the liquid, staring at it in wonder.

  
“You bleed?” He asked curiously.

 

 Sans didn’t respond. He kept his eyes transfixed on the ceiling, staring resiliently ahead. He could get through this. He would endure it, if only for Boss. He had to hold out. He wanted to continue being by his baby brother’s side; Even if we was useless and always getting in the way… Pap was all that mattered to him… he was what kept him rising day in and a day out. But… a small afterthought rose to the forefront of his mind, did Papyrus really need him? His brother had risen to the top of the ladder, he was a beacon to lesser monsters starting out at the bottom, as he had once had and while he was greatly feared, he was also highly respected. Monsters talked at the bar or out in the woods when they thought they were alone, often speaking highly of Papyrus and how he was keeping order amidst all the chaos. Many still despised him, but he had a place in this world, with followers he wasn’t even aware he had. But Sans knew… he always knew. He kept tabs on all monsters, ensuring Papyrus’ rise to power was unhindered. If a monster proved to be in the way, he would find ways to get rid of them. NO ONE was hurting his baby bro if he could help it! But that was before. Now Papyrus was powerful enough to take care of himself. It pained him to think of Boss’ side remaining vacant without him, but his brother would pull through and he would only continue to rise to the top.

………………...Even that thought was stopped short… while the last reset had been a great distance off, it was undoubtedly going to occur again, and these nightmares were only going to continue. So what did it even matter? He chuckled humorlessly to himself at the thought. Here he was stressing about his brother being alone without him… only to be reminded it wasn’t even a possibility in the first place. Honestly, to be able to finally find rest would be the day he had to look forward to. The chuckles dissolved into mad cackles, shoulders shaking in mixed hysterics at a joke that wasn’t even funny.

 

 The warrior set the small vial containing the skeleton’s blood down and turned back to inspect his captive. Hearing the broken laughs had him twinging slightly in unease. Something about that laugh sent a shiver running down his spine. It sounded more broken and thick with craze than even he had endured with past experiments.

 

“What’s so funny?” The warrior asked with an upturn grin that was purely for show.

“Nothing. Just found it hilarious how after everything, I’m only just now coming to grips with the fact that I can’t actually escape this madness.”

 

“And what madness do you speak of?”

  
 The skeleton turned empty, voidless eyes to stare back at the warrior. The look had him tensing, readying an attack to an unseen threat before it passed as the black sockets were reignited with pupils.

 

 His stance remained strained, despite having felt the threat pass. For a chill biting second when he’d stared into those bottomless pits, he felt his sins crawling down his back. It spoke volumes more than words of his life choices, leaving behind the ringing of voices crying and begging for mercy… he clenched up his fists to fight the shaking.

 

“What are you?” Came the gruff uneasy question. He had to know. The short skeleton wasn’t normal… and it was driving him mad with curiosity.

 

“Just a lazy skeleton.” Sans’ responded idly.

 

 Aluino’s anger spiked in frustration at the illusive response and he snagged the saw harshly, slashing it more aggressively than he intended with raging bloodlust down Sans’ ribs. Sans screamed and thrashed in his bindings before he gurgled and spat up blood. The tangy rust taste filled his senses.

………………...He should have just given up…………………….

………………...It was so much easier………………………..

………………...but he couldn’t………………………..

……….A single thought persistently despite it all…………………………………………………..…………………... Papyrus………………….

 

 Chest rising and falling rapidly, he grinned shakily up at the spider, who returned the gaze with a shocked expression that quickly morphed into a wild expression.

 

“You are persisting…! You aren’t even a real monster, are you?” Bringing the blade closer to his face, Aluino’s forked tongue darted out, lapping up the red DETERMINATION coating the saw. “I want your power!”

 

“Sorry buddy…. You don’t want what I have…. It is a living hell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also thank Amythefangirlsfangirl55 for getting me to actually type up the rest of this chapter. :P


End file.
